Book. Jx^ 

CopyrightN° . 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSnv 



A PRIVATE RETREAT FOR RELIGIOUS 



BY THE SAME AUTHOR: 

MANUAL OF THEOLOGY FOR THE LAITY 

Paper, net, $0.20; 25 copies, $4.50 
Cloth, net, 0.40; 25 copies, 9.00 
A brief, clear, and systematic exposition of the reason 
and authority of religion. 

MISSION REMEMBRANCE OF THE REDEMPTORIST 
FATHERS 

Cloth, 32mo, .... $0.50 
A prayer-book, as well as a book of instruction. Its 
chief end is to keep alive the remembrance and fruits of 
the mission. 



A PRIVATE RETREAT 
FOR RELIGIOUS 



ENRICHED WITH REFLECTIONS AND SELECT 
READINGS TAKEN FROM THE SPIRITUAL 
WRITINGS OF ST. ALPHONSUS 



BY 

REV. PETER GEIERMANN, C.SS.R. 

of " Manual of Theology for the LaAty," " The 
Remembrance of the Bedemptorist Fathers," etc. 



" I called upon God and the spirit of wisdom came upon me." 

(Wis. vii, 7.) 



New York Cincinnati Chicago 
BENZIGEK BROTHERS 

PRINTERS TO THE I PUBLISHERS OF 

HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE ' BENZIGER'S MAGAZINE 

1909 



Bpprobation of tbe Supedor 




The Book entitled "A Private Retreat for Religious," by Rev. 
Peter Geiermann, C.SS.R., having been examined by two Theo- 
logians of our Congregation, is hereby approved by us. By 
virtue of powers granted us by Most Rev. M. Raus, Superior- 
General of our Congregation, we permit the publication of the 
above-named work. 



Thos. p. Brown, C.SS.R., 
Sup. Prov. St. Louis. 



St. Louis, Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 
June 21, 1908. 



mm ©bstat; 



Remy Lafort, 



Censor Librorum. 



fmprtmatun 



>J,JOHN M. FARLEY, 



Archbishop of New York. 



New York, February 17, 1909. 



( LiSKARV of CONGR? i> 



COPYRIGHT, 1909. BT BENZIGER BROTHERSj 





Ccpyrisrr.t Entry 



Uhc Mol^ Spirit 
Qibe Sanctffiec of Souls 



preface 



There are many earnest souls working in tlie 
vineyard of the Lord, whose labors do not permit 
them to make the annual public retreat. Many 
others desire to spend a few days in solitude at 
the close of the year, or at some other time when 
their occupation will allow them to do so. There 
are still others, who, deriving more benefit from a 
private than a public retreat, prefer to make the 
spiritual exercises in total seclusion and silence. 
To all such this Private Retreat for Religious is 
offered as an aid. 

To derive a lasting benefit from the exercise of 
a retreat we must do three things: (1) meditate 
on the eternal truths till they permeate our very 
being; (2) examine our conscience till we come to 
know ourselves, if possible, as God knows us; 
(3) submit ourselves unreservedly to the influence 
of grace by fervent prayer. Thus only can we 
form and live up to practical resolutions which 
will bring us to perfection, for only by frequent, 
sincere, and systematic reflection can we make 
the salutary truths of our holy religion our own. 
By fidelity to this practice we shall not only ab- 
sorb these truths into our mind, but we shall also 
make them, so to speak, enter into and become 
a part of our very flesh and blood. Unless we 
become in this way so familiarized with the eter- 
nal truths that, like St. Aloysius, we instinctively 
ask, *'What does this count for eternity?" we 
can not look upon life habitually from the point of 
view of almighty God. And yet, this is literally 
necessary for every true follower of Jesus Christ. 

7 



8 



PREFACE 



However, familiarity with the eternal truths does 
not suffice in itself. We must apply these truths 
to the circumstances of our individual spheres. 
To accomplish this we need self-knowledge. The 
better we know ourselves, the easier will it be 
for us to amend our lives and perfect them. An 
additional motive for persevering in this self- 
examination arises from its humiliating our 
pride and purifying our self-love — so necessary 
to dispel delusion. In proportion as we practise 
this humility and mortification, do we dispose 
ourselves for the light and strength of grace. 
Under such circumstances prayer will never be 
an empty formality, but the abandonment of our- 
selves entirely to the influence of the Holy Spirit. 

To attain this end we must bring five disposi- 
tions to the holy exercises: (1) sincerity with 
God, who abhors the hypocrite; (2) the good- 
will, not merely to desire, but also to live in ac- 
cordance with reason and grace; (3) order in our 
efforts, thus husbanding time and energy and en- 
suring the best results; (4) patient perseverance 
or fidelity to the exercises; (5) above all, a bound- 
less confidence in God. 

In making the spiritual exercises, especially in 
private, some persons experience difficulty in em- 
ploying the time profitably; others, in digesting 
the truths of the spiritual life; and others again, 
in acquiring the necessary knowledge of them- 
selves. In this our Private Retreat, we have 
tried to remove these difficulties as far as possi- 
ble, (1) by supplying abundant matter; (2) by 
working out the entire meditation as far as cir- 
cumstances will permit; (3) by adding appropri- 
ate reading and examinations. The eternal 
truths are thus placed before the soul with clear- 
ness and applied in a way to enlighten the mind 



PREFACE 



9 



and inflame the heart. Considerations are 
really only of so much practical value as they 
add to self-knowledge or move the heart to God. 
On this account St. Alphonsus, whose method we 
have followed and whose writings we use, insists 
so much on Affections and Prayers" in com- 
muning with God. As the meditations of most 
Keligious of our day last but a half hour, we have 
divided the meditations of this retreat into two 
parts, and added an appropriate Eeflection from 
St. Alphonsus for the benefit of those who may 
desire to prolong the exercise. Each point of the 
meditation is divided into "Considerations and 
Applications" and " Affections and Prayers"; 
the first aims at subjecting the mind, while the 
other is intended to conform the will to the mind 
and heart of God. The soul is further aided in 
acquiring the theory and practice of the spiritual 
life by daily spiritual reading and examinations, 
and by a systematic interior examination, which 
will be introduced at the proper stage of the 
exercises. 

To facilitate the concentration of the mind on 
the work of the retreat, and to remove all unnec- 
essary anxiety regarding its success, a special 
end is proposed for each day. By keeping this 
special end in view day after day, the success of 
the retreat is, humanly speaking, secured at every 
step ; for the various exercises of the consecutive 
days not only harmonize with the general plan, 
but constitute its gradual development. A per- 
son who goes through the exercises of the retreat 
in this logical way may say with St. Paul, 
therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty; I so 
fight, not as one beating the air ; but I chastise my 
body and bring it into subjection" (1 Cor, ix. 
26-27). 



Contente 

PAGE 

Preface 7 

How to Profit by a Retreat 17 

The Manner of Making a Private Ketreat . . . . , .18 

Introductory Reflections on Solitude 21 

Invitation to Solitude 23 

Surrender to the Holy Spirit 24 

Veni Creator Spiritus 25 

Acts Before and After an Exercise of the Retreat .... 26 

Meditation for the Evening Preceding the Retreat. — 

Opening of the Retreat 28 

jfirst S)a^ 

THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL . . . . . .35 

First Meditation. — ^The Value of the Soul 36 

Optional Reflection. — The Pilgrimage of Life 41 

Optional Reading. — Vocation 44 

Second Meditation. — The Importance of Saving the Soul . 46 

Optional Reflection.— The Thought of Eternity .... 53 
Particular Examination. — On Humility toward the Holy 

Spirit 56 

Third Meditation. — The Value of a Baptized Soul ... 67 
Optional Reflection. — Detachment from Creatures ... 62 
Optional Reading. — Generosity Pleasing to God and Neces- 
sary for Religious 65 

Fourth Meditation. — The Dignity of a Religious ... 68 

Optional Reflection. — On the Retired Life 73 

Examination. — On the Christian Ideal 76 

Protestation for a Happy Death 77 

Hymn.— To the Creator 80 

Secon5 2)ai? 

THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 81 

First Meditation. — On the Malice of Sin 82 

Optional Reflection. — God Deserves to be Loved Above 

Everything 87 

Optional Reading. — The Life of a Religious the Life of 

Christ 90 

11 



12 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 



Second Meditation. — On the Sin of a Christian .... 93 
Optional Reflection. — On Loving God without Reserve . 98 
Particular Examination. — On Sincerity toward the Holy 
Spirit 101 

Third Meditation.— Tepidity in a Religious 102 

Optional Reflection. — On Desire and Resolution .... 107 
Optional Reading. — The Excellence of Virginity . .111 

Fourth Meditation. — On Hell 114 

Optional Reflection. — On Contempt of the World . .119 

Examination. — On Sinful Actions 123 

Hymn. — Invocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary . . 124 

THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE .126 

First Meditation. — The Thought of Death 127 

Optional Reflection. — On the Science of the Saints . .132 
Optional Reading. — On Detachment from Self -Esteem . .135 

Second Meditation. — The Religious at the Particular Judg- 
ment 138 

Optional Reflection. — Our Safety Consists in Prayer . . 143 
Particular Examination. — On Docility to the Holy Spirit . 147 

Third Meditation. — The Religious at the General Judgment 148 
Optional Reflection. — On the Necessity of Mental Prayer . 153 
Optional Reading. — On Detachment from Self -Will . .156 

Fourth Meditation. — On the Object of the General Judgment 159 
Optional Reflection. — On Preparation for Death . . 165 

Examination. — On the Eternal Truths 167 

Hymn: — ^The Loving Soul in Desolation 169 

jfourtb Dai? 

THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 171 

First Meditation. — The Mercy of God . 172 

Optional Reflection. — On Lukevvarmness 177 

Optional Reading. — On Temptations and Trials in Religion 180 

Second Meditation. — John Preaching at the Jordan. True 

Repentance 185 

The Science of Self -Knowledge 191 

Optional Reflection. — Sentiments of Sorrow and Amendment 201 
Particular Examination. — On Patience in Following the 
Holy Spirit 205 

Third Meditation. — Jesus Our Guide 205 

Optional Reflection. — On Confidence in Jesus Christ . . 210 
Optional Reading. — The Peace God gives to Good Religious 213 



CONTENTS 



13 



PAGE 

Fourth Meditation. — Mary Our Model. The Value of Spirit- 
ual Things 216 

Optional Reflection. — Mary, Model of Virtue .... 222 

Examination. — On Past Resolutions 224 

Hymn. — The Love of Jesus for the Soul 225 

mm Da^ 

THE DAY OF FAITH ............ 228 

First Meditation. — The Birth of Jesus. The Inscrutable 

Ways of God 229 

Optional Reflections: 

(1) Sentiments of Faith 235 

(2) A Dart of Fire.— The Love of God 238 

Optional Readings: 

(1) Mary, Model of Faith 239 

(2) The'^Object of Mental Prayer 242 

Second Meditation. — The Flight into Egypt. Submission to 

God's Decrees 246 

Optional Reflection. — Sentiments of Conformity to the Will 
of God 251 

Particular Examination. — On Confidence in the Holy Spirit 253 

Third Meditation. — The Hidden Life of Jesus. Perfect 

Obedience 254 

Optional Reflections: 

(1) The Friends of Jesus Hate the World . . . .259 

(2) A Dart of Fire.— The Obedience of Jesus . . .261 
Optional Readings: 

(1) Mary, Model of Obedience 262 

(2) On Fidelity in Adversity 264 

Fourth Meditation. — The Baptism of Jesus. Humility . . 268 
Optional Reflection. — On Meekness and Humility . . 273 

Examination. — On Practical Faith 276 

Hymn. — The Soul Sighing for Jesus 277 

Stxtb Dai? 

THE DAY OF GENEROSITY 279 

First Meditation. — The First Disciples. A Generous Resolve 280 
Optional Reflections: 

(1) Perfect Resignation to the Divine Will .... 285 

(2) A Dart of Fire.— God Annihilated by Love . . .289 
Optional Readings: 

(1) Mary, Model of Humility 290 

(2) Mortification 290 



14 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Second Meditation. — The Multiplication of Bread. Confi- 
dence in God 299 

Optional Reflection. — ^Mary, Model of Hope 304 

Particular Examination. — On Generosity toward the Holy 
Spirit " 307 

Third Meditation. — Jesus and the Scribe. Poverty . . . 308 
Optional Reflections: 

(1) In God Alone is Found True Peace 313 

(2) A Dart of Fire.— The Sacrifice of Jesus . . . .315 
Optional Readings: 

(1) Mary, Model of Poverty 317 

(2) Resolution 319 

Fourth Meditation. — Tlie Beloved Disciple. Chastity . 324 

Optional Reflection. — Mary, Model of Chastity .... 329 

Examination. — On the Spirit of Generosity 333 

Hymn.— To the Holy Ghost 334 

Se\?entb Dai^ 

A D^Y OF PRACTICE 336 

First Meditation. — The Fear of the Lord 337 

Optional Reflections: 

(1) Purity of Intention 343 

(2) A Dart of Fire.— The Love of God the Father for Us 346 
Optional Readings: 

(1) Mary, Model of Prayer 347 

(2) Ambition 350 

Second Meditation. — The Public Life of Jesus. Intercourse 

with the World 354 

Optional Reflection. — Zeal for Souls 359 

Particular Examination. — On Abandonment to the Holy 
Spirit '.362 

Third Meditation. — The Agony in the Garden. Dangers of 

Sadness 362 

Optional Reflections: 

( 1 ) Dryness of Spirit ; ... 368 

(2) A Dart of Fire.— The Sorrows of Jesus . . . .371 
Optional Readings: 

(1) Mary, Model of Patience 373 

(2) Necessity of Banishing Melancholy 375 

Fourth Meditation. — Jesus Carries His Cross. Perseverance 

of Virtue 377 

Optional Reflection. — Jesus Dies and Triumphs over Death 383 

Examination. — On the Order of the Day 385 

Hymn. — To Jesus in His Passion 387 

Prayer to Jesus Suflering 388 



CONTENTS 15 

3£tgbtb Ba^ 

PAGE 

A DAY OF UNION 392 

First Meditation.— The Empty Cross. The Cross in Daily 

Life 393 

Optional Reflections: 

(1) Our Salvation is in the Cross 399 

(2) A Dart of Fire. — The Abandonment of Jesus . . 403 
Optional Readings: 

( 1 ) Mary, Model of the Love of God 404 

(2) Happiness Obtained by Perfect Conformity to God's 

Will 408 

Second Meditation. — Our Glorious Saviour in the Blessed 

Sacrament 413 

Optional Reflections: 

(1) The Loving Heart of Jesus 418 

(2) Affections of Love toward the Sacred Heart . . 421 
Particular Examination. — On Love of the Holy Spirit . . 422 

Third Meditation. — Behold Thy Mother. Mary Our Mother. 

Consecration 423 

Optional Reflections: 

(1) Acclamations in Praise of Mary 431 

(2) A Dart of Fire. — Invitation of Jesus 436 

Optional Readings: 

(1) Mary, Model of Fraternal Charity 438 

(2) Means of Acquiring the Love of Jesus Christ . . 440 

(3) Aspirations of Love to Jesus Christ ..... 442 

Fourth MEoiTATioN.^The Love of God 444 

Optional Reflections: 

( 1 ) The Means of Loving God and of Becoming a Saint . 450 

(2) Sighs of Love toward God 451 

Examination. — On Union with God 458 

Renewal of Religious Profession 460 

Hymn. — Aspirations to Jesus 460 

Conclusion 

I. — Examination. — On the Retreat 462 

II. — Summary of Virtues that Make a Religious a Saint . 462 

III. — Spiritual Maxims for a Religious 467 

IV. — ^Maxims for Attaining Perfection 470 

V. — Devout Aspirations 472 

VI. — Hymn. — ^Mary Our Hope 474 

VII. — Exhortation to Religious to Advance in Perfection . 475 



mow to profit bi^ tbe iRetreat 

{From 8t, Alphonsus) 

1. The first intention yon should have in making 
these exercises is to discover the will of God in 
yonr regard. In going into solitude, therefore, 
say within yourself, ^^I will hear what the Lord 
God shall speak to me. " * ^ I go to learn what the 
Lord will tell me and what He wishes from 
me.'' 

2. It is also necessary that you have the de- 
termined will to obey God and to follow your vo- 
cation without reserve. 

3. Pray earnestly, therefore, for light to know 
and strength to fulfil God's holy will. But pray 
with indifference of mind, for God gives this 
grace to those only who wish to conform to His 
holy will. 

4. Eead the meditations attentively and let 
them serve as sermons, reflecting on them for 
half an hour. 

5. The best place to make mental prayer is be- 
fore the Blessed Sacrament. 

6. Though the morning and the evening are 
the best time for meditation, try to follow the rule 
of the saints during your retreat and devote all 
free time to mental prayer. 

7. Guard against distractions from without: 
^'Be still, and see that I am God" {Ps. xl. 11). 

8. Guard also against distractions from within, 
and think only of the good of your soul. 

17 



18 



MAKING A PRIVATE RETREAT 



9. Kecommend yourself with confidence to the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus and to His holy mother 
Mary. 

10. Recite the following short prayer during 
the exercises : 

^^My God, I am that miserable one who in the 
past has despised Thee; but now I esteem and 
love Thee above everything, nor will I love any 
other but Thee. Thou wouldst have me belong 
entirely to Thee; to Thee I will belong entirely. 
'Speak, 0 Lord, for Thy servant heareth.' Let 
me know what Thou wishest from me, and 
I will do all; and let me especially know in what 
I must amend my life to serve Thee perfectly. 
'Make Thou known to me the way in which I 
should walk.' " 



Ube /iDanner of /iDafting a private IRetreat 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

I. THE OBJECT OR AIM OF THE RETEEAT 

A RETREAT has the same end or purpose as men- 
tal prayer in general, of which it is only an ex- 
traordinary exercise. We make a retreat in order 
to be enlightened; to know, purify, and correct 
ourselves; to be united with God and to pray to 
Him; to renew our spirit; to maintain ourselves 
in virtue and to increase in fervor. 

n. THE PLACE 

In order to be really in retreat we must retire 
from whatever may disturb silence and recollec- 
tion. If we have a choice, we should choose the 



MAKING A PRIVATE RETREAT 19 



convent that will be most favorable to both si- 
lence and recollection, so that the body as well 
as the spirit may be in retreat. 

III. ITS DURATION 

St. Alphonsns teaches that it is advisable to de- 
vote to the spiritual exercises at least an hour 
every day, a day in every month, and a week in 
every year, to keep up the fire of divine love 
in the soul. The annual retreat should there- 
fore last about eight days. 

IV. ORDER OF THE EXERCISES 

Every one may regulate the exercises of 
the day to suit his own circumstances. The fol- 
lowing may serve as an example of the order of 
the day: 

A. M. 

5 or 5:30. Meditation. 

6 or 6:30. Mass. When we go to communion 
we make half an hour's preparation and an hour's 
thanksgiving. 

7:30. Mental rest for an hour. Breakfast, 
work, walk in silence. 

8:30. Visit to the Blessed Sacrament and to 
the Blessed Virgin. Eosary. 

9. The Way of the Cross. 

10. Spiritual reading for half an hour. 
10 :30. Meditation. 

11:45. Particular examination. 
12. Mental rest for an hour and a half. Din- 
ner, work, walk in silence. 

P. M. 

1 :30. Vocal prayers, as vespers, compline, etc. 



20 MAKING A PRIVATE RETREAT 



2. Visit to the Blessed Sacrament and to the 
Blessed Virgin. 

3. Spiritual reading from the life of a saint 
of yonr Order. 

3:30. Meditation. 
4 :30. Eemission. 

6. Meditation. 

7. Mental rest. Supper, work. 

8. Eecollection before the Blessed Sacrament. 
Examination, protestation for a happy death. 

8:30. Night prayers, during wfiich an exami- 
nation of conscience is made on the faults of the 
day. At the end we read some thoughts for the 
next morning's meditation. 

We employ the intervals that remain free ac- 
cording to our devotion, in praying, in convers- 
ing intimately with God, in reading, in briefly not- 
ing down good thoughts or a good resolution, in 
examining our conscience, etc. 

V. SILENCE AND EECOLLECTION 

If we can not keep strict silence during the 
whole retreat, as it is advisable for us to do, we 
should at least avoid everything that may disturb 
interior recollection, without which there would 
be no retreat. All mental strain is also hurt- 
ful; it is to the heart that God speaks in calmness 
and peace. A retreat is not a hardship, but a 
spiritual repose to which Our Lord kindly invites 
us in order that we may sweetly commune with 
Him. ^'Come apart into a desert place, and rest 
a little" {Mark vi. 31). 

VI. THE MEDITATIONS 

Each meditation should last at least half an 
hour. If time permits, the meditation may profit- 



REFLECTIONS ON SOLITUDE 



21 



ably be extended to three-quarters of an hour and 
even to a full hour. 

VII. MORTIFICATION 

Prayer is the soul of the retreat; but in order 
to pray well we must practise not only exterior, 
but especially interior mortification; to this let 
us add spiritual alms. Prayer is good with 
fasting and alms" (Tob. xii. 8). 

VIII. THE SACRAMENTS 

In our confession we should review the faults 
committed since our last retreat, or make a gen- 
eral confession as our director may think best. 
We should not fail to consult our director about 
any important point that may arise ; for the road 
of obedience is always most secure and most meri- 
torious. After our confession is over we should 
receive holy communion daily to the end of the 
retreat. 



•ffntro&uctorp IReflecttons on SoUtube 

{From St. AlpJionsus) 

Our Lord one day said to St. Teresa, ^ ^ I would 
willingly speak to many souls, but the world makes 
so much noise in their hearts that they can not 
hear my voice. ' ' God does not speak to us in the 
midst of the turmoil and affairs of the world, 
knowing that, if He were to speak, He would not 
be understood. The words of God are His holy 
inspirations, the light He bestows and the calls 
He extends; through which the saints are en- 
lightened and inflamed with divine love; but 



22 REFLECTIONS ON SOLITUDE 



they who do not love solitude will be unable to 
hear these voices of God. ^^Who will give me 
the wings of a dove, that I may fly away, and be 
at rest?'' David desired to have the wings of 
a dove, that he might leave this earth, and not 
touch it, even with his feet, and thus give rest to 
his soul. But while we are in this life, it is not 
given to us to leave the earth. We must, how- 
ever, take care to love retirement, so far as it is 
possible, conversing alone with God; and thus 
gaining strength for avoiding those defects that 
arise because we are obliged to have intercourse 
with the world; as David said, at the very time 
he was ruling his kingdom, ''Behold, I have fled 
far away, and abode in the wilderness." 

' ' But what does the solitude of the body profit, ' ' 
asks St. Gregory, ''if the solitude of the heart be 
not there?" That a soul may be wholly given to 
God, two things are necessary: the first is, to 
detach oneself from the love of every created 
thing; the second, to consecrate all one's love to 
God; and these are implied in true solitude of 
heart. Oh, how easily is God found by every one 
who detaches himself from creatures in order to 
find Him ! ' ' The Lord is good to the soul that seek- 
eth Him." St. Francis de Sales wrote, "The 
pure love of God consumes everything that is not 
God, in order to convert everything into itself." 
We must, therefore, offer ourselves as an enclosed 
garden, for the holy spouse in the Canticles is 
called by God: "My sister, my spouse, is an en- 
closed garden." The soul that keeps its heart 
shut against earthly affections is called an en- 
closed garden. It is God who has given us every- 
thing that we have, and it is right that He should 
require of us all our love. When, then, any 
creature would enter and take up a portion of 



INVITATION TO SOLITUDE 



23 



that love, which as Religious we are bound to 
give to God alone, we must altogether deny that 
creature an entrance, and turning to our greatest 
good, we must say with all our heart, ^'What have 
I in heaven, and what have I desired upon earth, 
but Thee, 0 God of my heart, and my portion 
forever?" ''0 my God! what but Thyself can 
satisfy my soul ? No ; except Thee I desire noth- 
ing either in heaven or on earth; Thou alone art 
sufficient for me, 0 God of my heart, and my por- 
tion forever ! ^ ' 



HYMN 

irnvftatfon to SoUtu&e bi? tbe ibols Spfdt 

'^I will lead her into solitude, and I will speak 
to her heart {Osee ii. 14). 

Fly hither from the storm that rages round ; 
Fly, where true peace in solitude is found; 
Where cares and strife and worldly troubles cease, 
Here I invite Thee to repose in peace. 
A gift awaits thee here; My light divme, 
To loving souls so dear, on thee shall shine; 
Here thou shalt see how vile is all the earth, 
How sweet my love to those who know its worth. 

Then from my lips that sweet inviting word, ' 
That bids thee love Me, shall by thee be heard ; 
How much I always loved thee thou shalt see. 
And how ungi'ateful thou hast been to Me. 
Sweet contrite tears thy wounds of sin shall heal, 
The ardor of My love thou then shalt feel. 
And here I wait thee to bestow in love 
A foretaste of the joys of heaven above. 



24 



SURRENDER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT 



Surren^er to tbe Utol^ Spirit 

{From St. AlpJionsus) 

Holy Spirit, divine paraclete, father of the 
poor, consoler of the afflicted, light of hearts, 
sanctifier of souls! behold me prostrate in 
Thy presence. I adore Thee with the most pro- 
found submission, and I repeat a thousand times 
with the seraphs who are before Thy throne, 
*^Holy, Holy, Holy!" I firmly believe that Thou 
art eternal, consubstantial with the Father and 
the Son. I hope that by Thy goodness Thou wilt 
sanctify and save my soul. I love Thee, 0 God 
of love! I love Thee more than all the things of 
this world; I love Thee with all my affections, 
because Thou art that infinite Goodness which 
alone merits all love; and since, insensible as I 
have been to Thy holy inspirations, I have been so 
ungrateful as to offend Thee by so many sins, I 
ask Thee a thousand pardons for them, and I su- 
premely regret having ever displeased Thee, 0 
sovereign Good! I offer Thee my heart, cold as 
it is, and I supplicate Thee to let a ray of Thy 
light and a spark of Thy fire enter it during this 
holy retreat, to melt the hardened ice of my in- 
iquities. Thou who hast filled with immense graces 
the soul of Mary, and inflamed with a holy zeal 
the hearts of the apostles, vouchsafe also to set on 
fire my heart with Thy love. Thou art a divine 
spirit; fortify me against evil spirits. Thou art 
a fire; enkindle in me the fire of Thy love. Thou 
art a light ; enlighten me so that I may know eter- 
nal things. Thou art a dove; give me great 
purity of heart. Thou art a breath that is full 
of sweetness; dissipate the storms that my pas- 



VENI CREATOR SPIRITUS 



25 



sions raise against me. Thou art a tongue ; teacii 
me the manner of praising Thee without ceasing. 
Thou art a cloud; cover me with the shadow of 
Thy protection; and, finally, since Thou art the 
author of all heavenly gifts, Oh, I beseech Thee 
to grant them to me; vivify me by Thy grace, 
sanctify me by Thy charity, govern me by Thy 
wisdom, adopt me by Thy bounty as Thy child, 
and save me by Thy infinite mercy, so that I may 
never cease to bless Thee, to praise Thee, to love 
Thee, as first during my life on earth and after- 
ward for all eternity in heaven. Amen. 



HYMN 

IDent Creator Spidtus 

(From St, Alphonsus) 

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come 
From Thy bright heavenly throne; 

Come, take possession of our souls 
And make them all Thine own. 

Thou who art called the Paraclete, 

Best gift of God above; 
The living spring, the living fire, 

Sweet unction, and true love. 

Thou who art sevenfold in Thy grace, 

Finger of God's right hand; 
His promise, teaching little ones 

To speak and understand. 

Oh ! guide our minds with Thy blest light, 

With love our hearts inflame; 
And with Thy strength, which ne'er decays. 

Confirm our mortal frame. 



26 



ACTS FOR RETREAT EXERCISES 



Far from us drive our hellish foe ; 

True peace unto us bring; 
And through all perils lead us safe, 

Beneath Thy sacred wing. 

Through Thee may -we the Father know 

Through Thee th' eternal Son, 
And Thee, the Spirit of them both— 

Thrice blessed Three in One. 

All glory to the Father be 

With His coequal Son, 
The like to Thee, great Paraclete, 

While endless ages run. 

V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be 
created ; 

E. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. 

Let us Pray 

Assist us, 0 Lord, we beseech Thee, with the 
power of Thy Holy Spirit, that our hearts may be 
purified according to Thy mercy, and we be de- 
fended from all adversities. Amen. 



Ects for Before an^ Hfter an Bxerctse of 
tbe IRetreat 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

I. PREPARATORY ACTS 

1. Invocation of the Holy Spirit 
Veni, Sancte Spiritus, etc. 

2. Faith and Adoration 

My God, I believe that Thou art here present, 
and I adore Thee with my whole soul. 



ACTS FOR RETREAT EXERCISES 27 

3. Humility and Contrition 

Lord, I should now be in hell in punishment for 
the offences I have committed against Thee. I 
am sorry for them from the bottom of my heart; 
have mercy on me. 

4. Petition for Light and Strength 

Eternal Father, for the sake of Jesus and Mary, 
give me light and strength in this meditation, that 
I may draw profit from it. 

One Hail Mary, in recommendation to Mary, 
Joseph, our guardian angel, and patron saints. 

II. CONCLUDING ACTS 

1, Thanksgiving 

My God, I thank Thee for the lights and the 
graces Thou hast given me during this exercise. 

2, Resolution 

I resolve to be faithful to the resolution with 
which Thou hast inspired me. 

3, Petition 

For the sake of Jesus and Mary, help me to 
be faithful to this resolution, 0 God. 

4. Thanksgiving 

Salve Regina. 

5, For Souls in Purgatory and Poor Sinners 
An Our Father and a Hail Mary. 



MEDITATION FOE THE EVENING PEECED- 
ING THE EETEEAT 



Hn tbe Cenacle— ©pening of tbe iRetreat 

My soul, place thyself under the special pro- 
tection of the Holy Ghost during the days of this 
retreat. Make Him, the Author of the super- 
natural life in man, the guide in all thy exercises. 
He is called the sanctifier of souls, because He 
applies to them the merits of Christ and enables 
them to work for heaven. Without His assist- 
ance it is impossible to lead a truly spiritual life. 
^ ' No one can say, the Lord Jesus, but by the Holy 
Ghost" (1 Cor, xii. 3). No one can perform any 
supernaturally good act without His aid. Since 
this is so, it stands to reason, my soul, that thou 
shouldst practise a special devotion to the Holy 
Spirit. Make use of this time, therefore, to show 
thy reverence, gratitude, and love to Him. 

Consider now (I) what the Holy Spirit does for 
those souls who place themselves unreservedly in 
His hands; and (II) what thou must do, especially 
during this holy retreat, to receive from Him 
the fulness of grace and to complete thy spiritual 
exercises renewed in spirit. 

Point I 

CONSIDERATION AND APPLICATION 

If thou wishest to see what the Holy Spirit does 
for souls who abandon themselves to His absolute 

28 



MEDITATION PRECEDING RETREAT 29 

guidance, then behold what occurred on the great 
feast of Pentecost. 

a. "And suddenly there came a sound from 
heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled 
the whole house where they were sitting'' {Acts 
ii. 2). By this storm the Holy Spirit wishes to 
call our attention to that wonderful activity which 
He develops in the Christian soul. The storm 
breaks down all obstruction and purifies the air. 
The Holy Spirit must do the same in thy soul if 
there is to be a renewal of the spiritual life. He 
must break down the obstacles that have arisen 
to the operation of grace, and remove everything 
harmful to virtue. Consider the apostles! Be- 
fore the descent of the Holy Ghost they had many 
faults and imperfections, many perverse inclina- 
tions which opposed the grace of God and pre- 
vented it from making them conformable to their 
divine model. But when the Holy Spirit entered 
their hearts He removed the obstacles which had 
hindered the operation of grace in their souls, 
He broke their pride. He killed every earthly 
inclination, extinguished the fire of hatred, modi- 
fied their anger and impetuosity, banished their 
exalted opinion of self, and purified their whole 
interior life. Now their hearts are well ordered 
and prepared to receive the fulness of grace He 
pours out upon them. 

"And there appeared to them parted 
tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every 
one of them ; and they were all filled with the Holy 
Ghost" {Acts ii. 3-4). By appearing as fiery 
tongues the Holy Spirit wished to call thy at- 
tention to another wonderful operation. He en- 
lightens the soul with heavenly light. He gives it 
a clear knowledge and profound comprehension 
of the truths of salvation. He fortifies the faith 



30 MEDITATION PRECEDING RETREAT 

of the soul and gives to it the strength to con- 
vince others of their importance. Jesus Christ 
had told the apostles all things, but they often 
did not understand. The Holy Spirit now inebri- 
ates them in the Saviour's heavenly doctrines and 
they are filled with enthusiasm for them. 

c. ^^And they began to speak with divers 
tongues according as the Holy Ghost gave them 
to speak'' {Acts ii. 4). And Peter stood up, 
lifted up his voice, and spoke to them" {Acts ii. 
14). Here we observe another effect of the Holy 
Ghost, the power which He confers upon a docile 
soul. He not only enlightens the mind in regard 
to the truths of faith, but He also inflames the 
heart to live in accordance with these truths. 
Formerly the apostles were weak, now they are 
strong. Then they were timid, now they pro- 
fess and preach their faith openly, rejoicing 
that they were accounted worthy to suffer re- 
proach for the name of Jesus" {Acts v. 41). 

Thou, my soul, art about to spend a few days in 
silent communion with the Holy Spirit. Ask 
Him now to remove all obstacles in the way of 
thy spiritual progress. Beg Him to cast a ray of 
heavenly light into thy heart, that thou mayest 
know thyself and understand the importance of 
the eternal truths. Beg of Him the strength 
necessary to form and carry out those resolutions 
which thy condition demands. Approach Him 
with confidence, for ''the Spirit also helpeth our 
infirmity" (Rom. viii. 26). 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 my God, hitherto I have done nothing for 
Thee, who hast done such great things for me! 
Alas! my coldness deserves that Thou shouldst 
"vomit me out of Thy mouth." 0 Holy Spirit, I 



MEDITATION PRECEDING RETREAT 31 

beseech Thee, ^'fove quod est frigidum/^ *^warm 
that which is cold" ; deliver me from this coldness, 
and enkindle within me an earnest desire of 
pleasing Thee. I now renounce all my worldly 
gratifications ; and I hope rather to die than give 
Thee the least displeasure. Thon didst appear in 
the shape of fiery tongnes ; I consecrate my tongne 
to Thee, that it may never offend Thee again. 
Thou didst give it to me, 0 my God, to praise 
Thee, and I have made use of it to offend Thee, 
and to draw others also into sinning against Thee. 
I repent of this with my whole soul. Oh, for the 
love of Jesus Christ, who, during His whole life 
on earth honored Thee so much with His tongue, 
grant that I may during this holy retreat profit 
by Thy holy word and speak sincerely to Thee. 
Grant also that from this day forth I may honor 
Thee constantly by celebrating Thy praises, by 
frequently invoking Thy aid, and by speaking of 
Thy goodness and of the infinite love which Thou 
deservest. I love Thee, my sovereign good, I 
love Thee, 0 God of love! 0 Mary, thou art the 
most dear spouse of the Holy Ghost; obtain for 
me this fire. 

Point II 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider, moreover, my soul, what thou must do 
to receive the fulness of grace. Prepare thy- 
self as did the apostles. The Saviour had com- 
manded them to remain in the city till they re- 
ceived power from on high. On their return they 
therefore went up into an upper room, and per- 
severed with one mind in prayer with the women, 
and Mary, the mother of Jesus" {Acts i. 14). 

These few words indicate everything that is 



32 MEDITATION PRECEDING RETREAT 



necessary to prepare the heart for the operation 
of the Holy Ghost. 

a. The first requisite is retirement and recol- 
lection. The apostles should remain peaceably in 
the city, and not return to their home in Galilee. 
My soul, follow thou their conduct. Keep thy- 
self in retirement and great recollection. This 
retirement is a penance that will cure thy heart 
of attachment to earthly things, distractions, and 
mental dissipation. It will bring thee much 
nearer to God. Eetirement is a source of holy 
thoughts, the best means of self-knowledge, and 
prepares thy heart for the visit of the Holy Spirit. 
Avoid every distraction, therefore, and wait 
patiently for Him who will speak to thee. 

h. The second means is diligent, persevering 
prayer. The apostles persevered with one mind 
in prayer. They had retired for this very pur- 
pose, to invoke the Holy Spirit by humble suppli- 
cation. Do thou the same; convince thyself first 
of thy spiritual misery, of thy poverty and de- 
pendence, and then pray with all the ardor of 
thy soul for grace and mercy. Pray during these 
days with fervor and perseverance. Prayer is 
useful. It is absolutely necessary. 

c. The third means is harmony. The apostles 
showed their harmony especially by praying for 
one another. Prayer is most powerful especially 
where two or three are gathered together in 
prayer. Where two or three are gathered to- 
gether in My name, there am I in their midsf 
{Matt, 18-20). 

So, my soul, must thou also enter solitude with a 
heart that entertains no aversion, no bitterness, 
no repugnance for thy neighbor. Thou must 
generously forgive all, wish well to all, and pray 
for all. 



MEDITATION PRECEDING RETREAT 33 



If thou didst have some misunderstanding with 
a neighbor, be reconciled before thou enterest 
solitude, so that thou canst place thy hand on thy 
heart and say, ^ ^ There is nothing in my heart that 
can displease the spirit of love." 

Be sure to enter into the daily exercises with 
joy and fervor. Eest assured that by this means 
especially thou wilt draw the Holy Spirit upon 
thee. 

My soul, art thou prepared to enter this holy 
retreat with the dispositions of the first disciples 
of Christ? Art thou at peace with God and man? 
Art thou willing to remain as much as possible 
in holy retirement? To be recollected at all 
times? To pray with special fervor? To per- 
form especially the common acts with all possi- 
ble devotion? Art thou firmly determined to 
make this retreat in such a way that thou wilt 
be ready to come from it into the presence of 
Jesus Christ to be judged, and to give an account 
of thy stewardship! 

AFFECTIONS AND PRAYERS 

0 holy and divine Spirit, I will no longer live 
to myself; but I will spend all the days that re- 
main for me in this life in loving Thee and pleas- 
ing Thee. Therefore I beseech Thee to grant me 
the gift of prayer. Do Thou descend into my 
heart, and teach me to pray as I ought. I desire 
to make this holy retreat well. Accept my sin- 
cere desire. Give me the grace to pray with rec- 
ollection during these holy exercises. Give me 
the strength not to leave off through weariness. 
Give me the spirit of prayer, that is to say, the 
grace constantly to pray to Thee, and to use those 
prayers which are dearest to Thy sacred Heart. 
I was once lost through my fault, but I see from 



34 MEDITATION PRECEDING RETREAT 

all the loving kindness Thou hast bestowed upon 
me, that Thou wiliest that I should be saved and 
become truly sanctified. I desire to become holy 
to give Thee pleasure, and in order that I 
may love Thy infinite goodness more and more. 
I love Thee, 0 my sovereign good, my love, my 
all; and because I love Thee I give myself en- 
tirely to Thee. 
0 Mary, my hope, do thou protect me. 



FIEST DAY 



ZDc 2Jai2 of tbe Cbrietian H&eal 

Dedicated to the Spirit of Holy Fear 
Dispo sition. — Humility. 

Motto. — ' ' Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do T ' 
(Acts ix. 6.) 

The Special End of this day's exercises is to 
bring home to the soul the exalted CnKiSTiAisr Ideal 
of our earthly pilgrimage, and thereby move it to 
appreciate the benefits of creation, destiny, the 
true faith, and the crowning gift of a religious 
vocation. 

Beading. — The end or purpose of your Institute 
as taught by your Eules and Constitutions. 

PKAYEE TO OBTAIN THE GIFT OF THE FEAE OF THE 
LORD 

Holy Spirit, divine consoler! I adore Thee as 
my true God, just as I adore God the Father and 
God the Son. I bless Thee by uniting myself to 
the blessings that Thou dost receive from the 
angels and the seraphs. I offer Thee my whole 
heart, and I render Thee heartfelt thanks for all 
the benefits that Thou hast bestowed and dost 
unceasingly bestow upon the world. Thou who 
art the author of all supernatural gifts, and who 
didst enrich with immense favors the soul of the 
blessed virgin Mary, the mother of God, I beseech 
Thee to visit me by Thy grace and Thy love, and 

35 



36 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 

to grant me the gift of Thy holy Fear in order 
that it may prevent me from falling any more 
into my past infidelities, for which I now ask Thee 
a thousand times to forgive me. 

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, Glory he to the 
Father, three times. 

THOUGHTS AND EJACULATIONS 

0 God, who knows what fate awaits me? 

1 shall be either eternally happy or eternally 
miserable. 

Of what worth is all the world without God! 
Let me lose all, but let me not lose my God. 
Jesus and Mary, you are my hope. 

FIRST MEDITATION 
Ube IDalue of tbe Soul 

Point I 

*'The breath of the Almighty gave me life" 
(Job xxxiii. 4). 

considerations and applications 

The value of an immortal soul can best be esti- 
mated from the manner in which God created the 
soul of Adam, as recorded in Holy Scripture. 
All other creatures of the visible world God pro- 
duced from the primeval matter which He created 
*4n the beginning. In their last analysis they 
are only elementary substances. But the soul of 
man was produced immediately by God. ^^And 
the Lord God breathed into the face of man the 
breath of life and man became a living soul" 



THE VALUE OF THE SOUL 



37 



{Gen, iL 7). The soul of man lias, therefore, 
nothing in common with ^'dust and ashes/' It 
was created by God and is intimately related to 
Him. Every human soul is breathed into its 
material temple by the Holy Ghost Himself. 
Other creatures came into existence at the word of 
God. *'He spoke and they were made.*' The 
very words of God, when about to create the hu- 
man soul, indicate that He was about to produce 
a being that He valued more than all other crea- 
tures combined. ^^And now let us make man." 
Behold God's exalted model in creating the human 
soul: '^Let us m^ake man to our own image and 
likeness." Consider man's wonderful gifts; un- 
derstanding, free will, immortality! Indeed the 
human soul is more precious than all the other 
creatures of the visible world. 

I am, then, a noble creature of God, endowed 
with extraordinary faculties. I was made, like 
the angels, to the image and likeness of God. 
Other creatures come into existence, flourish, and 
die. But I will last forever. I am a living 
breath of God's holy spirit, like Him endowed 
with immortality. Indeed, He esteems me higher 
than all the animals of the field, all the birds of 
the air, all the beauties of nature, yes, more than 
the entire visible world. 

It is indeed true that *^God has loved me with 
an everlasting love." He has created me of His 
own free will. He has made me to His ^4mage 
and likeness," when it was in his power to make 
me a perishable worm of the earth. How have I 
regarded tbafc soul which God esteems so highly? 
What gratitude, what love have I shown the God 
of goodness for making me to His own image and 
likeness? Have I shown by my daily life that I 
appreciated my exalted position, that I valued 



38 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 

my soul as God does? Have I used my under- 
standing to know God more and morel Have I 
employed my will solely in loving the God of good- 
ness? Or have I used the very gifts of God to 
oifend Him? Have I made his image more 
and more like to Him by virtue, or have I sacri- 
legiously defaced it by actual sin? 

ATFECTIONS AND PRAYERS 

0 Spirit of love and holiness, enlighten my un- 
derstanding to appreciate my immortal soul at its 
true value. Inflame my heart to repair the dis- 
orders of the past by my fervor in the future. I 
am a poor, sinful being. I have repaid the good- 
ness of God with the blackest ingratitude. I have 
sought the vain things of the world. I have lav- 
ished my affections upon creatures. I repent 
with all my heart of my base ingratitude. I am 
sincerely sorry for having despised and misused 
Thy gifts. I desire to change my life. I will 
henceforth esteem my immortal soul as a pearl 
of inestimable price. I will consider it my most 
sacred duty to treasure it as Thy own image and 
likeness. I hope to devote all my faculties to 
Thee. My understanding shall daily seek new 
reasons for loving Thee. My will shall hence- 
forth be entirely conformable to Thy own. I trust, 
0 God, that Thou, who hast created me, will 
not abandon me. I hope for the forgiveness of 
my sins. I hope that Thy grace will accompany 
me as a pillar of light and strength, and will 
enable me to value my soul as Thy sacred image 
and to perfect in it Thy likeness bj - the practice 
of every virtue. 



THE VALUE OF THE SOUL 39 



Point 11 
consideeations and applications 

The value of a soul can be correctly estimated 
from the actions of those who were in a position 
to judge of it and from the price they paid to se- 
cure their souPs salvation. Take the saints of 
God; what sacrifices have they not madef What 
penances have they not performed? What vigils 
and fasts! With what heroic patience did they 
not overcome all obstacles to secure the salvation 
of their souls. Satan also is an expert at es- 
timating the value of a soul. Because he under- 
stands its great value he goes about like a roar- 
ing lion seeking whom he may devour. The angels, 
too, understand the value of a human soul. They 
see that it is made to the image and likeness of 
God. Hence they take a great interest in our wel- 
fare. They joyfully guard and guide each soul. 
For they are ^^ministering spirits, sent to minister 
for them who shall receive the inheritance of sal- 
vation {Heh. i. 14). 

But the best judge of the value of a human soul 
is the incarnate Son of God Himself. Behold 
the price He paid to ransom the soul ! He bought 
us back at the exceeding great price of His most 
precious blood — that is the value of an immortal 
soul! Hence St. Eusebius rightly exclaims, *'Do 
you wish to know the value of your soul? Then 
ask your Saviour upon the cross !" 

Yes, my soul, if thou wishest to know thy true 
value, ask the saints in heaven. Ask the devil 
who is seeking to bring about thy ruin. Ask the 
guardian angel who is ever at thy side. Yes, 
ask the Saviour the price He offered for 
it. He answers with a parable. ^'The king- 
dom of Heaven is like to a merchant, seek- 



40 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 

ing good pearls. Who, when He found one pearl 
of great price, went his way and sold all that 
he had, and bought if (Matt. xiii. 45-46). 
Thou, my soul, art that pearl. The merchant is 
the Son of God. He came upon earth to seek 
pearls, precious pearls — immortal souls. He sold 
all that He had. He became the poorest of the 
children of men. *'He had not even whereon to 
lay His head.'' He sold His honor! He sold 
His good name! He was reviled and spat upon, 
clothed in derision, crowned with thorns, cruci- 
fied, abandoned by God and man. He gave up 
His soul in desolation. He gave up His life! 
He parted even with the consolations of His very 
divinity, by wilfully suffering all humiliations. 
And all this He joyfully sacrificed, willingly paid 
for the redemption of thy immortal soul. Be- 
hold thy value ! Behold thy ransom ! Indeed 
^^thou hast been bought with a great price" 
(1 Cor. vi. 20). 

AFFECTIONS AND PKAYEES 

0 God, I thank Thee for this inestimable gift. 
I thank Thee for this great knowledge. 0 Holy 
Spirit, I thank Thee for having made my soul a 
nobler being than all visible creation. My Jesus, 
I am Thine. Thou hast ransomed me. Would it, 
then, not be a shame, a disgrace, 0 God, if I would 
still continue to be forgetful of my immortal soul? 
If I were to pamper a mortal body, that will soon 
be the food of worms, and forget and neglect that 
soul which the Holy Spirit has fashioned with so 
much skill, which my Jesus has redeemed at so 
great a price? I repent of my past indifference. 
Give me the grace to have the value of my soul 
always before me, to live as the saints have lived, 



THE VALUE OF THE SOUL 



41 



to act as my Eedeemer would wish me, to live in 
perfect conformity to His holy will. 

Resolution 

Yes, 0 God of love, I will hearken to Thy pre- 
cept and save my soul. I will watch over it with 
great care {Deut, xi. 13-14). May it ever be in 
my hands ( Ps. cxviii. 109), to guard it from dan- 
ger. Nothing shall be more dear to me than my 
soul, which the Almighty loves more than the en- 
tire world, and which is the image and likeness of 
God. *'If I forget Thee, may my right hand be 
forgotten. Let my tongue cleave to my jaws, if 
I do not remember Thee, if I make not Thee the 
beginning of my joy'' {Ps, cxxxvi. 5, 6). 



OPTIONAL REFLECTION 

XTbc iPUgdmaae of %\tc 
{From St. Alphonsus) 

While we live in this life, we are so many pil- 
grims, who wander up and down upon the earth, 
far from our country, which is heaven, where the 
Lord awaits us, that we may rejoice forever in 
His glorious countenance. While we are in the 
body," writes the Apostle, *^we are absent from 
the Lord.'' If, then, we love God, we ought to 
have a continual desire to leave this place of exile, 
by being separated from the body, that we may 
go and see Him. It was for this that St. Paul 
ever sighed, as he said, ^'We are confident, and 
have a good will to be absent rather from the 
body, and to be present with the Lord." 

Before our redemption, miserable children of 
Adam as we are, the way of approach to God 



42 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 



was closed; but Jesus Christ by His death has 
obtained for us the grace of having it in our power 
to become the children of God; and thus has 
opened to us the gates by which we can have ac- 
cess, as children, to our Father, almighty God. 

On this account St. Paul says, ^^Now, there- 
fore, you are no more strangers and foreigners; 
but you are fellow-citizens with the saints and 
the domestics of God." Thus, so long as we are 
in the grace of God, we enjoy the citizenship of 
paradise, and belong to the family of God. St. 
Augustine says, ''Nature corrupted with sin pro- 
duces citizens of an earthly city ; but grace, which 
frees our nature from sin, makes us citizens of a 
heavenly country and vessels of mercy." 

This made David say, ''I am a stranger on 
earth; hide not Thy commandments from me." 
0 Lord ! I am a pilgrim upon this earth ; teach me 
to keep Thy precepts, as they are the road by 
which I may reach my country in heaven. It is 
not wonderful that the wicked should wish to live 
forever in this world, for they justly fear that they 
shall pass from the pains of this life to the eternal 
and infinitely more terrible pains of hell ; but how 
can he who loves God, and has a moral certainty 
that he is in the state of grace, desire to go on 
living in this vale of tears, in continual bitterness, 
troubled by reproaches of conscience, and in 
danger of perishing? How can he help longing 
to depart at once to unite himself to God in a 
blessed country, where there is no danger of sin 
or death? Oh, how souls that love God groan con- 
tinually while they live, and cry out with David, 
''Woe is me, for my banishment is prolonged!" 
Unhappy is he who must continue to live a long 
time in this world, in the midst of so many perils to 
his salvation. Therefore it is that the saints have 



THE VALUE OF THE SOUL 43 



continually had this prayer upon their lips, ' ' Thy 
kingdom come. ' ' Quickly, 0 Lord I quickly carry 
us to Thy kingdom. Let us make speed, then, as 
the Apostle exhorts us, to enter that kingdom, 
where we shall find perfect peace and contentment. 
''Let us hasten to enter into that rest." Let us 
hasten, I say, with desire, and not cease to walk 
onward till we come to that blessed harbor which 
God has prepared for them that love Him. 

''He that runs," says St. John Chrysostom, 
"pays not heed to the spectators, but to the crown 
of victory; he stands not, but hastens on his 
course." Therefore, the saint argues that the 
longer our life, the more we should hasten with 
good works to win the palm. Thus our one con- 
stant prayer for the relief of the troubles and 
trials which we endure in this life ought to be: 
"Thy kingdom come." Lord, may Thy kingdom 
speedily come, where, united eternally with Thee, 
and seeing Thee face to face, we shall no longer 
know fear, or danger, or falling away. And when 
we find ourselves afflicted with the labors or dis- 
honors of the world, let us comfort ourselves with 
the great reward that God prepares for those who 
suffer for the love of Him. "Rejoice in that day, 
and be glad; for behold, your reward is great in 
heaven. ' ^ St. Cyprian said that with good reason 
Our Lord wills that we should rejoice in labors 
and persecutions, because then the true soldiers of 
God are proven, and crowns are distributed to the 
faithful. 

Behold, 0 my God! my heart is ready; behold 
me prepared for every cross that Thou givest me 
to endure. No, I desire not delights or pleasures 
in this life; he who has offended Thee and de- 
serves hell, deserves not pleasures. I am ready 
to suffer all the infirmities and adversities that 



M THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 

Thou sendest me. I am ready to embrace all the 
slights of men; I am content, if it pleases Thee, 
to be deprived of all bodily and spiritual consola- 
tions ; it is enough that Thou dost not deprive me 
of Thyself, and of the eternal love of Thee. This 
I deserve not, but I hope for it, through the blood 
that Thou hast shed for me. I love Thee, 0 my 
God, my love, my all ! I shall live forever, and I 
shall love Thee forever, as I hope ; and my paradise 
will ever be to rejoice in Thy infinite joy, which 
Thou dost truly merit through Thine infinite 
goodness. 

OPTIONAL READING 

IDocatton 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

It is evident that our eternal salvation depends 
principally upon the choice of our state of life. 
Father Granada calls this choice the chief wheel 
of our whole life. Hence, as when in a watch the 
mainspring is impaired the whole watch stops, 
so, in the order of our salvation, if we make a 
mistake as to the state to which we are called, our 
whole life, as St. Gregory says, will be out of joint. 

In that state to which God calls us He has pre- 
pared the efficacious means necessary for our sal- 
vation. For, as St. Cyprian says, ^'The grace of 
the Holy Spirit is given according to the order of 
God, and not according to our own will"; and 
therefore St. Paul writes, every one hath his 
proper gift from God" (1 Cor. vii. 7). That is, 
as Cornelius a Lapide explains it, God gives to 
eveiy one his vocation, and chooses the state in 
which He wishes him to be saved. This is the 
order of predestination described by the same 
apostle ; Whom He predestinated, them He also 



THE VALUE OF THE SOUL 45 



called; and whom He called, them He also justi- 
fied, and them He also glorified/' A vocation to 
the religious state secures us against the tempta- 
tions of the world, gives us the assurance of most 
efficacious grace, and keeps the object of our 
earthly pilgrimage ever before us. ^'With deso- 
lation is all the land made desolate," says the 
prophet Jeremias, because there is none that 
considereth in the heart." The religious life is 
the oasis in this desolate land. For, in every 
well-regulated religious house, meditation on the 
eternal truths is made every day, and even several 
times a day. ^^Eemember thy last end, and thou 
shalt never sin." This great means of salvation 
is secured in religion. ^^And therefore," says 
St. Alphonsus, ^4n this light of divine things, 
which there continually shines, it is morally im- 
possible to live, at least for a long time, far from 
God, and without one's account ready for 
eternity. ' ' 

Prayer 

0 my God ! how have I ever deserved this great 
mercy, that, having left so many others to 
live in the midst of the world. Thou hast willed 
to call me — who have offended Thee more than 
others, and deserved, more than they, to be de- 
prived of Thy divine light — to enjoy the honor of 
living as a friend in Thy own house! 0 Lord! 
grant that I may understand this exceeding grace 
which Thou hast bestowed on me, that I may ever 
thank Thee for it, as I purpose and hope to do 
always during my life and throughout eternity. 
Do not permit me to be ungrateful for it. Since 
Thou hast been so liberal toward me, and hast in 
Thy love preferred me to others, it is but just 
that, more than others, I should serve and love 



46 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 



Thee. 0 my J esus ! Thou wouldst have me to be 
wholly Thine, and to Thee I give myself entirely. 
Accept me, and henceforth keep me as Thine own. 
Finish Thou the work which Thou hast begun. 
Thou hast called me to Thy house, because Thou 
wilt have me become a saint. Make me, then, 
what Thou wilt have me. Do this, 0 eternal Fa- 
ther ! for the love of Jesus Christ, in whom is all 
my confidence. I love Thee, my sovereign good, 
I love Thee. 0 infinite goodness, I love Thee 
only, and will love Thee forever! 0 Mary, my 
hope, come to my assistance ; grant that I may be 
always faithful and thankful to my Lord. 



SECOND MEDITATION 
Ube irmportance of Savina ^vit Souls 

Point I 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

''7 am thy reivard exceeding great^' {Gen, 
XV. 1). 

Man should save his soul at any price, because 
an infinite reward awaits him in the next world. 
If God had created man for His glory alone, man 
could never pay his debt of gratitude. Even the 
longest life spent in God's service would not equal 
the benefits of creation and preservation. But 
God desires to make man happy in the next world. 
Like the master in the gospel, He has called man 
to work in His vineyard. He desires a reasonable, 
a loyal service. He indeed says, * * Thou shalt fear 
the Lord thy God and serve Him^ alone*' {Deut, 
vi. 13), but when the day of life is over He will 



THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING OUR SOULS 47 

reward man according to his works. will be 
thy reward exceeding great. On earth persons 
slave and deny themselves in many things to 
amass a fleeting fortune, while they neglect the 
great reward of heaven, ^'Heaven is both a gift 
and a reward," says St. Augustine, ^'for when 
God rewards our merits. He crowns His gifts.'' 
A^Hiile man is making the pilgrimage of life, he 
may neglect ^'the one thing necessary," and, like 
a child sent on an urgent errand, amuse himself by 
the wayside of life. But when he enters the next 
world, he realizes that God is the object of his 
existence, the end of his pilgrimage, the truth that 
alone can make him free, the infinite good that 
alone can satisfy the longing of his heart. Like 
a belated traveler, man then hastens to that end 
to rest from the labors, trials, and fatigue of his 
journey. Every tear will be wiped away and 
every sorrow forgotten." The darkness of error, 
of doubt, and uncertainty is dispelled by the light 
of the eternal truth. *^We shall see Him as He 
is. ' ' Man will realize that God is good, infinitely 
good; he will taste this goodness, enjoy it, be in- 
ebriated with it. In God he will enjoy the grandeur 
of heaven, the company of the angels and saints, 
and the society of the queen of heaven herself. 
Of this reward, infinite in value, St. Paul said, 
*^That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither 
hath it entered into the heart of man, what things 
God hath prepared for them that love Him" 
(1 Cor. ii. 9). Our Saviour therefore asks, ^^What 
exchange will a man give for his soul?" and 
again, ^^What doth it profit a man if he gain the 
whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul?" 
(Matt. xvi. 26). The reward of heaven is the pos- 
session of the infinite God and all that is His own. 
Hence Father Nierenburg rightly says that ^^one 



48 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 

moment in heaven would more than repay all the 
labors, sufferings, and trials of earth." 
^ Oh, my soul, dost thou realize thy exalted des- 
tiny, and the importance of securing thy happi- 
ness in the next world! Time is rushing by like 
an angry torrent. Most of thy days are already 
swallowed up in eternity; thou wilt follow soon. 
"\^^at treasures hast thou laid up where neither 
the rust nor moth doth consume? Perhaps, instead 
of laying up treasures in heaven, thou has neg- 
lected the one thing necessary. Hast thou be- 
come the slave of pride and self-love even in the 
convent, instead of serving God with thy whole 
heart and soul? "Where will thy journey end? 
Thou canst not turn back; thou must enter the 
next world. Thank God that the choice still rests 
with thee. "Wilt thou possess God, the infinite 
good, or be an outcast with the demons? Dost 
thou prefer the light of eternal truth, or the dark- 
ness of hell? Wilt thou hesitate to choose be- 
tween the company of the blessed, and the com- 
pany of the lost? Between the joys of heaven 
and the torments of hell? "What has caused thee 
to jeopardize thy salvation in the past? Wilt 
thou not now, at least, serve God faithfully and 
secure thy salvation? Oh, do not stand idle in 
the market-place! Thy loss will be irreparable. 
Heaven is cheap at any price. Behold the price 
thy Saviour paid to open heaven for thee ! What 
effort wilt thou make to enter? Ask thyself, like 
St. Bernard, ''Ad quid venistif Why didst thou 
forsake the world and its vanities and come to the 
convent? Was it not to save thy soulf 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

Oh, my sovereign goodl I am that wretch who 
has turned his back upon Thee, and renounced 



THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING OUR SOULS 49 

Thy love. I therefore do not deserve to see or 
love Thee. But to show mercy to me, Thou hast 
not shown mercy to Thyself, but.hast condemned 
Thyself to a painful and ignominious death on an 
infamous gibbet. Thy death, therefore, makes me 
hope that I shall one day save my soul and enjoy 
Thee face to face, and that I shall then love Thee 
with all my strength. But now that I am in 
danger of losing Thee forever, now that I am 
conscious of having turned away from Thee by 
my sins, what shall I do during the remainder of 
my life? Shall I continue to offend Thee! No, 
my Jesus! I detest with a sovereign hatred the 
offences I have been guilty of against Thee. I 
feel a sovereign sorrow for having insulted Thee, 
and I love Thee with my whole heart. Wilt Thou 
cast off a soul that repents and loves Thee! No; 
I know, 0 my Eedeemer I that Thou hast said that 
Thou wilt not reject any one who comes to Thee 
with a penitent heart. ^^Him that cometh to Me, 
I will not cast out.'' My Jesus, I renounce all 
things, and turn to Thee. I embrace Thee, and 
unite Thee to my heart ; do Thou also embrace me, 
and unite me to Thy heart. I dare to speak in 
this manner, because I speak and converse with 
infinite goodness. I speak to a God who was con- 
tent to die for love of me. My dear Saviour! 
grant me true repentance and perseverance in 
Thy love. My dear mother Mary 1 1 place my sal- 
vation in thy hands ; through the love which thou 
didst bear to Jesus Christ obtain for me the grace 
of final perseverance. Such is my hope, such my 
desire. 



50 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 



Point 11 
considerations and applications 

Another reason why man should save his soul 
above all things is because that soul will live for- 
ever, either in the enjoyment of heaven, or suffer- 
ing the torments of hell. The soul is immortal. 
It is a spirit ; it can think, and love, and act as a 
spirit. ^'Grod created man incorruptible, and to 
the image of His own likeness He made him^' 
{Wis, ii. 23). If heaven so far surpasses earth, 
that all the labors, sufferings, and trials of time 
are well repaid by one moment of the enjoyment 
of heaven, what will compare to its eternal joys? 
Who can estimate the reward ''exceeding great'* 
in eternity, "the peace of God, which surpasseth 
all understanding" {PML iv. 7) ! Time is merely 
a wave on the ocean of eternit3^ Why, then, 
should man be solicitous about temporal things, 
saying, "What shall we eat, or what shall we 
drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed!" (Matt. 
vi. 31.) Should he not rather seek first the king- 
dom of God, and His justice? Did the Saviour 
not say, "heaven and earth shall pass away, but 
My words shall not pass away" (Mark xiii. 31.)? 
The reward of man, if worthy, is certain, but he 
may fail to secure it. Many are called, but few 
are chosen. A small number only make sure of 
their election, while there is still time for them 
to do so. Therefore the Saviour warns all, say- 
ing: "Take ye heed, watch, and pray; for ye 
know not when the time is. Even as a man, who, 
going into a far country, left his house, and gave 
authority to his servants over every work, and 
commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye there- 
fore (for you know not when the lord of the house 
cometh; at even, or at midnight, or at the cock 



THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING OUR SOULS 51 

crowing, or in the morning). Lest coming on a 
sudden, he will find you sleeping. And what I 
say to you I say to all : Watch" {Mark xiii. 33-37). 
For the same reason St. Paul exhorted his be- 
loved disciples, saying, ^^With fear and trembling 
work out your salvation'' (Phil, ii. 12). Make 
sure of the one thing necessary, we can imagine 
him repeating; life is only an empty bubble that 
may burst at any moment. You will live forever. 
As you sow in time so shall you reap in eternity. 
The eternal joys of heaven are cheap at any price. 
Your share in them will be proportioned to the 
efforts you now make to save your soul and serve 
God. But if the reward of heaven is exceeding 
great, the same must be said of the torments of 
hell; they, too, will never end. After years and 
years have rolled by and time will have been swal- 
lowed up in eternity, the joys of heaven and the 
pains of hell will go on and on, forever and for- 
ever. 

Oh, my soul, what an awful thought, to live for- 
ever! and how frightful the uncertainty! how 
irreparable the final consequences! If God had 
demanded an account of thy stewardship when 
thou wert in sin, thou wouldst now lament, but it 
would be too late to repent. How good God has 
been in giving thee this time to save thyself for 
eternity! How couldst thou have been so blind 
as to risk the eternal joys of heaven for a momen- 
tary pleasure of earth? Thank God for the light 
of this salutary truth. Thy Saviour could esti- 
mate the eternal reward of heaven ; what sacrifices 
has He made for thy sake ! What wilt thou now 
do to insure it forever? Behold the way of life 
and the way of death is still before thee. Eepent 
of thy past negligence. The kingdom of heaven 
suffereth violence. According to the violence 



52 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 



that thou wilt do to thyself in conforming to God^s 
holy will, so shall be thy claim to the reward ex- 
ceeding great in heaven. 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

My dear Jesus! Thou hast taught me this 
prayer, ^^Thy kingdom come." I therefore now 
pray that Thy kingdom may come into my heart, 
so that Thou mayest possess it entirely, and that 
my soul may possess Thee, its sovereign good, 0 
my J esus 1 Thou hast spared nothing in order to 
save me and to give me Thy love ; save me, then, 
and let my salvation consist in loving Thee always 
in this life and in the next. I have so often turned 
my back upon Thee, and yet Thou assurest me 
that Thou wilt not disdain to embrace me for all 
eternity in heaven, with as much love as if I had 
never offended Thee. Knowing this, can I ever 
love anything else but Thee, who wishest to be- 
stow heaven upon me, after I have so often de- 
served hell? Ah, my Jesus! would that I had 
never offended Thee! Oh! were I born again I 
would always love Thee. But what is done is 
done. I repent of the past. I can now do no 
more than give Thee the remainder of my life. 
Yes, I give it entirely to Thee. I consecrate 
myself entirely to Thy love. All earthly affec- 
tions depart from my heart, give place to my God, 
who wishes to possess it entirely for time and for 
eternity. Yes; take possession of my whole be- 
ing, my redeemer, my love, and my God ! 

Resolution 

I hear Thee say, ^^Save thy soul!'' Yes, cost 
what it may, I will save my soul. From this day 
forward I will think only of pleasing Thee. 
Assist me by Thy grace. I hope in Thy merits. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING OUR SOULS 53 



Increase in me continually Thy love, and the de- 
sire of pleasing Thee. When, 0 Lord! shall the 
day come that I shall be safe with Thee in heaven? 
Ah, my God ! keep Thy hand upon me, that I may 
nevermore offend Thee. 0 Mary! when shall I 
see myself at thy feet in paradise? Assist me, 
my Mother; do not permit me to be lost, and to 
go forever away from thy Son and thee. 



OPTIONAL REFLECTION 

XTbe tTbougbt of Bternit^ 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

St. Augustine called the thought of eternity the 
great thought — magna cogitatio. This thought 
has brought the saints to count the treasures and 
greatness of this life as nothing more than straw, 
dust, smoke, and refuse. This thought has sent 
many anchorites to hide themselves in deserts and 
caves, and has led many noble youths, and even 
kings and emperors, to shut themselves up in 
cloisters. This thought has given courage to 
martyrs to endure the torture of piercing nails 
and heated irons, and even of being burned to 
death. 

No ; we are not created for this earth. The end 
for which God has placed us in the world is this, 
that with our good deeds we may inherit eternal 
life. The end is eternal life. And, therefore, St. 
Eucherius said that the only affair that we should 
attend to in this life is eternity ; that is, we should 
win a happy eternity, and escape a miserable one. 
The object for which we struggle is eternity. If 
assured of this, we are forever blessed; failing in 
it, we are forever miserable. 



54 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 



Happy he who lives ever with eternity in view, 
with a lively faith that he must speedily die, and 
enter upon eternity. The just man liveth by 
faith. It is faith that makes the just to live in 
the sight of God, that gives light to their souls, 
by withdrawing them from earthly affections, that 
places before their thoughts the eternal blessings 
which God promises to them that love Him. 

St. Teresa said that all sins had their origin in 
a want of faith. Therefore, in order to overcome 
our passions and temptations we ought constantly 
to revive our faith by saying, ^ ' I believe in the life 
everlasting. ^ ' I believe that after this life, which 
will soon be ended, there is an eternal life, either 
full of joy or full of pain, which will befall me, 
according to my merits or demerits. 

St. Augustine also said that a man who believes 
in eternity, and yet is not converted to God, has 
either lost his senses or his faith. ^^0 eternity! 
he that meditates upon thee and repents not, either 
has not faith, or he has no heart.'' So St. John 
Chrysostom relates that the Gentiles, when they 
saw Christians sinning, thought them either liars 
or fools. ^'If you believe not what you say you 
believe, you are liars, ' ' they said ; ^ ' if you believe 
in eternity and sin, you are fools." ^^Woe to sin- 
ners who enter upon eternity without having 
known it because they would not think upon it ! " 
exclaims St. Csesarius; and then he adds, *'but oh, 
double woe! They enter upon it, and they never 
come forth." 

St. Teresa said constantly to her disciples, *'My 
children, there is one soul, one eternity." By 
which she meant, ^ ' My children, we have one soul, 
and when that is lost, all is lost ; and once lost, it 
is lost forever." In a word, upon that last dying 
breath depends whether we are forever blessed or 



THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING OUR SOULS 55 

forever lost. If the eternity of the next life, if para- 
dise, if hell were mere fictions of literary men and 
things of doubtful reality, even then it ought to be 
our greatest care to live well and avoid even the 
risk of losing our soul forever. But these things 
are not doubtful; they are certain. They are 
matters of faith ; they more surely exist than those 
things which we see with our eyes. Let us, then, 
pray to Our Lord, Increase our faith'*; for if 
we are not strong in faith, we may become worse 
than Luther or Calvin. On the other hand, one 
thought of living faith upon the eternity that 
awaits us may lead us to become saints. 

St. G-regory wrote that they who meditate on 
eternity are neither puffed up by prosperity, nor 
cast down by adversity; for they desire nothing 
and they fear nothing in this world. When we 
are obliged to suffer infirmity or persecution, let 
us think of the hell which we have deserved 
through our sins. When we do this, every cross 
will seem light, and we shall thank God and say, 
^ ' It is the mercy of the Lord that we are not con- 
sumed.'' We shall declare with David, '^Unless 
the Lord had been my helper, my soul had ahnost 
dwelt in hell." Through myself I was already 
lost ; Thou hast done this, 0 God of mercy ! Thou 
hast stretched forth Thy hand, and drawn me forth 
from hell; ^^Thou hast delivered my soul that it 
should not perish." 

0 my God! Thou knowest how often I have de- 
served hell; but, notwithstanding, Thou biddest 
me hope, and I desire to hope. My sins terrify 
me; but Thy death giveth me courage, and Thy 
promise of pardon to him that repenteth. A con- 
trite and humbled heart, 0 God! Thou wilt not 
despise. I have dishonored Thee in the past, but 
now I love Thee above all things; and I grieve, 



56 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 



more than for any other evil, that I have offended 
Thee. 0 my Jesus ! have mercy upon me. Mary, 
mother of God, pray for me. 



PARTICULAE EXAMINATION 
©ur IbumtUt^ Uowarb tbe Iboly Spirit 

Do I realize: 
That of myself I am nothing! 
That I have nothing that I have not received? 
That I have deserved nothing that I have re- 
ceived? 

That but for my faults I might have received 
sufficient grace to make me a saint I 

That I deserve to be in hell for my sins ? 

That God is infinite goodness, love, and 
mercy ? 

That He has been very good, loving, and 

merciful to me? 
That the success of this retreat depends on 

His grace? 

That I should humbly subject myself to the 
Holy Spirit? 
How have I observed the necessary silence, 
recollection, and spirit of prayer? 

Say an act of contrition for faults, of thanks- 
giving for lights and graces. 

Make a renewal of humble submission to the 
Holy Spirit. 



VALUE QF A BAPTIZED SOUL 57 



THIRD MEDITATION 
\t)alue of a Baptt3e& Soul 

Point I 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider tKe incomparable beauty of a Cbris- 
tian soiiL When a child is born into the world it 
is indeed an image of God, bnt it is defiled by 
original sin. It is brought to the font of Baptism. 
Oh, what a change is then wrought! The Holy 
Ghost washes that soul in the blood of Jesus 
Christ, in the blood of that ^^Lamb that takes 
away the sins of the world. ' ' He purifies it from 
every stain of original and actual sin. All that is 
displeasing in the sight of Heaven is washed away. 
The curse of God is removed. The night of sin 
has passed. The first ray of heavenly favor 
passes into that regenerated soul. The Holy 
Ghost says, ^^Let there be light.'' And the 
light of grace dispels the darkness of sin. Thus 
the natural image of God is restored, and the All- 
Holy contemplates with pleasure this being that is 
a reflection of His divine essence. 

But this is not all. The divine Artist proceeds 
to adorn this purified soul with all the charms of 
sanctifying grace. He gives to the soul a most 
wonderful supernatural likeness to its Lord and 
God. For this grace permeates the very essence 
of that soul and makes it bright and pleasing in 
God's sight. In a certain sense, it makes that 
soul *^a sharer of the divine nature itself." The 
effects of this grace are : 

a, A wonderful spiritual beauty which it im- 
parts to the soul, so that God addresses it in the 

67 



58 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 

words of the Canticle of Canticles, ^'How beauti- 
ful art thou, my love, how beautiful art thou!'* 
(Cant. iv. 1.) 

b. A second effect of sanctifying grace is that 
it imparts to the soul a higher, a supernatural, a 
wholly divine life. For this reason St. John calls 
this grace ''the seed of God^' (1 John iii. 9). 

c. Another effect, and one that closely follows 
the preceding, is the divine adoption of that soul 
as a child of God. The reception of sanctifying 
grace is our re-birth ''of the Holy Ghost." We 
become, in consequence, the children of God. This 
spiritual sonship rests on a participation of the 
divine nature, and produces that supernatural 
likeness of God in us. St. John had this in mind 
when he said, "Behold what manner of charity 
the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should 
be called, and should be the sons of God" (1 John 
iii. 1). And again, "He has given them power to 
be made the sons of God" (John i. 12). St. Peter 
expresses the idea even more clearly : ' ' He hath 
given us most great and precious promises, that 
by these you may be made partakers of the divine 
nature" (2 Peter i. 4). 

d. A last effect of sanctifying grace upon the 
soul is the right to inherit the kingdom of Heaven. 
As St. Paul says: "If sons, heirs also; heirs in- 
deed of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Eom, 
viii. 17). 

See, then, my soul, what the Holy Ghost has 
done for thee in holy Baptism! He has purified 
thee from all sin. He has raised thee to a super- 
natural state. He has made thee a partaker of 
the divine nature. He has made thee a child of 
God and an heir to the kingdom of Heaven. 
What hast thou done to show thyself worthy of 
so great a favor? What hast thou done to ex- 



VALUE OF A BAPTIZED SOUL 



59 



press thy gratitude for these gifts that surpass 
all understanding? What hast thou rendered to 
the Lord for all that He hath rendered unto thee! 
Hast thou kept that image undefiledl Hast thou 
endeavored to adorn it daily by the practice of 
every virtue? Alas, what a prodigal, what a de- 
generate child hast thou become! Instead of 
singing the praises of God forever and ever, in- 
stead of valuing the life of grace above all riches, 
instead of living only to love and serve God, how 
often hast thou deliberately offended Himf How 
often hast thou been influenced by earth to forget 
heaven? How often hast thou permitted the 
flesh to govern the spirit? How often hast thou 
hearkened to the suggestions of the evil one, and 
turned a deaf ear to the inspirations of thy 
heavenly Father? How little did it take at times 
to turn thee from the straight and narrow path 
to that broad and even way which leadeth to de- 
struction ? 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

Oh, heavenly Father, look upon thy prodigal 
child humbly prostrate before Thee ! Do not cast 
me from Thee as I deserve. Do not drive me 
from Thy house, lest I perish miserably. Take 
me back, I beseech Thee. Let me be the humblest 
of Thy servants. I truly repent of my ingrati- 
tude. I earnestly desire to love Thee, to serve 
Thee with all my strength. Thou hast made me 
a partaker of Thy divine nature by the grace of 
holy Baptism. With Thy help I wish to lead a 
truly supernatural life. I wish to live only to 
please Thee. Give me light to know my sins and 
grace to detest them. Give me strength to avoid 
all that might soil the wedding garment of grace 
that Thou hast placed upon me. Make me love 



60 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 

Thee, make me serve Thee. Help me to keep my 
soul undefiled by sin. Help me to adorn it by the 
practice of every virtue. Give me humility and 
I shall be humble. Increase my faith, increase 
my hope. Inflame me with Thy love, that I may 
love Thee with my whole mind, my whole heart, 
with all my strength. Make me live according 
to Thy holy will. 

Point II 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider another distinction that the Holy 
Ghost confers upon Christians in holy Baptism. 
He makes them members of the mystical body of 
Jesus Christ. He makes them members of God's 
kingdom upon earth, of the holy Catholic Church. 
He confers upon them the dignity of a Christian, 
by impressing upon them the indelible mark of 
Jesus Christ. This dignity of a Christian confers 
upon them an undisputed right to the infinite 
treasures of the Redemption which Christ our 
Lord has laid up for all His followers. The Holy 
Ghost applies these treasures to the soul by keep- 
ing it in an intimate union with the God-Man, 
so that, as the principle of life passes through the 
vine to all the branches and produces leaves, blos- 
soms, and fruit, so, in like manner, the sentiments, 
merits, and virtues of the Saviour pass to the 
Christian soul, and under the co-operation of the 
Holy Spirit produce in it wonderful fruits that 
will ripen into eternal life. 

By Baptism, moreover, the Christian soul be- 
comes a temple of the Holy Ghost. The Holy 
Spirit is not satisfied with making man a child of 
the heavenly Father and a mystical member of 
Jesus Christ; He Himself, also, has entered in 



VALUE OF A BAPTIZED SOUL 



61 



and taken up His abode in him, **Know yon 
not/^ asks St. Panl of the Corinthians, ^^that 
yonr members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, 
who is in youf (1 Cor. vi. 19). 

Yes, my soul, thou art a branch on the tree of 
life. Thou art a member of Christ's spiritual 
body; thou bearest His mark so indelibly im- 
pressed upon thee that an eternity will never 
efface it. Thou art the sacred temple of the Holy 
Ghost. Thou art that sanctuary in which dwells 
the dispenser of grace. Thy heart is a garden 
in which He came to raise the flowers of virtue. 
The divine Spirit does all in His power to adorn 
His temple. Ah, thou art, indeed, the most pre- 
cious of created things. How great must be the 
love of the divine Spirit for thee if He does all He 
can to adorn thee thus during life. With what 
beauty will He not endow thee in heaven if thou 
dost place no obstacle in the way. 

How hast thou acted, 0 my soul I Hast thou 
been at all times a living member of Christ? Hast 
thou always lived in accordance with thy divine 
adoption? Have thy actions always been ani- 
mated with the fire of divine charity which Christ 
came to cast upon earth? Hast thou not rather, 
perhaps, cast out the spirit of love from the temple 
that He had built, and enthroned the father of 
lies in His stead? Art thou not, perhaps at this 
very time, permitting the canker of an evil habit 
to sap thy spiritual strength? Change, then, thy 
ways, I beseech thee, 0 my soul, before it is too 
late. 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 God, SO good, SO kind, so lovable, I acknowl- 
edge my indifference and my base ingratitude. I 
repent of often having acted in a way unworthy of 



62 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 

a member of Christ living body. I am sorry for 
having desecrated that temple which the Spirit 
of love has constructed with so much care. I 
detest my conduct ; I beg for pardon. Have pity 
on me. I desire truly to make amends. I hope 
to lead a new life, a life which befits my divine 
adoption — a life of grace — a life in accordance 
with the sublime dignity of a Christian. 

Eesohdion 

I resolve with the assistance of God's grace to 
sin no more. I resolve to practise virtue, to be a 
living member of Jesus Christ, to be an undefiled 
temple of the Holy Ghost. I will live, as a Chris- 
tian, a supernatural life of filial love. 

Mary, help of Christians, pray for me. 



OPTIONAL REFLECTIOl^S 

Detacbment from Creatures 

{From St, Alphonsus) 

In order to love God with all our heart, we must 
separate ourselves from everything that is not 
God, or that does not tend to God. He chooses to 
be alone in the possession of our hearts ; He admits 
no rivals there; and with reason, because He is 
our only Lord, who has given us everything. Still 
further. He is our only lover, who has loved us 
not for His own interest, but solely from His 
goodness; and because He thus loves us exceed- 
ingly. He desires that we should love Him with 
all our hearts. ^^Thou shalt love the Lord thy 
God with all thy hearf 

To love God with our whole heart implies two 
things ; the first is, to drive from it every affection 



VALUE OF A BAPTIZED SOUL 63 



that is not for God, or not according to the will 
of God. '^If I knew/' says St. Francis de Sales, 
"thsit I had one fiber in my heart which did not 
belong to God, I would instantly tear it out." 
The second is prayer, by which holy love intro- 
duces itself into the heart. But if the heart does 
not fly from earth, love can not enter, for it finds 
no place for itself. On the other hand, a heart 
detached from all creatures instantly becomes in- 
flamed, and increases in divine love with every 
breathing of grace. 

^^Pure love,'' said the holy Bishop of Geneva, 

consumes everything that is not God, in order 
to change it into itself; because everything that 
is done for God is the love of God." Oh, how 
good is God and how liberal to those souls that 
seek nothing but Him and His will ! ^ ^ The Lord 
is good to them that seek Him. " Happy he, who 
living still in this world, can say truthfully, with 
St. Francis of Assisi, ^^My God and my all!" and 
thus can hold in contempt all the vanities of the 
world. ^^I have despised the kingdom of the 
world, and all the glory of this life, for the love of 
Jesus Christ my Lord." 

When, then, creatures would enter into our 
heart and take a share of this love we owe to God, 
we must immediately banish them, shutting the 
door against them, and saying, Begone, begone 
to those who desire you ; my heart I have given 
wholly to J esus Christ ; for you there is no place. ' ' 
And, in addition to this resolution to desire noth- 
ing but God, we must hate that which the world 
loves, and love that which the world hates. 

Above all, to attain to perfect love, we must 
deny ourselves, embracing that wliich is distaste- 
ful to self-love, and rejecting that which self-love 
demands. A certain thing is pleasant to us ; for 



64 



THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 



that very reason it is often good to reject it. A 
certain medicine is disagreeable, because it is 
bitter ; it is an act of virtue to take it for tbe very 
reason that it is bitter. It is unpleasant to us to 
do good to a certain person who has been ungrate- 
ful to us; we must, by all means, do good to him, 
for the very reason that he has been ungrateful. 
Further, St. Francis de Sales said that we must 
love even virtues with detachment of heart; for 
example, we ought to love meditation and retire- 
ment ; but when they are forbidden to us, through 
the calls of obedience or of charity, we must leave 
them both without being disquieted. And thus 
it is necessary to embrace with equanimity every- 
thing that happens to us through the will of God. 
Happy he who wishes to have, or not to have, 
whatever happens, because God wishes it. And, 
therefore, we must pray Our Lord to enable us 
to find peace in everything that He appoints for 
us. It is certain that no one is more happy in the 
world than he who despises the things of the 
world, and who lives in continual conformity to 
the will of God. Therefore, it is a useful thing 
frequently during the day, or at least at the time 
of prayer and communion, to renew before our 
crucifix the total renunciation of ourselves and of 
all our possessions, saying: my Jesus! I 

desire to think no more of myself. I give myself 
wholly to Thee; do with me what Thou wilt. I 
see that everything that the world offers me is 
vanity and deceit. From this day I would seek 
nothing but Thee and Thy good will ; help me to be 
faithful to Thee. 
^'0 sweet Virgin Mary, pray to Jesus for me.^^ 



VALUE OF A BAPTIZED SOUL 



65 



OPTIONAL READING 

Ocnctoeit^ liboet ipieasfng to (3o&t anD IFlecegearig for 

1RCliQiO\X6 

{From St, Alphonsus) 

God loves all those wlio love Him : * * I love those 
that love me'' {Prov. viii. 17). Many, however, give 
themselves to God, but still keep in their hearts 
some attachment to creatures, which prevents 
them from belonging entirely to God. How, 
then, shall God give Himself entirely to the one, 
who, besides his God, loves creatures still? It is 
just that He should act with reserve toward him. 
On the contrary. He gives Himself entirely to 
those souls, who, driving from their hearts every- 
thing that is not God and that does not lead them 
to His love, and giving themselves to Him without 
reserve, truly say to Him, **My God and my all." 
As long as St. Teresa entertained an inordinate 
attachment for a relative, she could not hear from 
Jesus Christ what she afterward heard, when, 
freeing herself from every attachment, she gave 
herself entirely to the divine love, ' ' Now, because 
thou art all Mine, I am all thine." 

The Son of God has already given Himself en- 
tirely to us : A Child is born to us, and a Son is 
given to us " (75. ix. 6) . He has given Himself to us 
through the love He bears us. *^He hath loved us 
and hath delivered Himself for us" {Eph, v. 2). 
*^It is, then, just," says St. John Chrysostom, 
*^that when God has given Himself to you without 
reserve. He has given thee all — nothing has He 
left to Himself — you also should give yourself to 
God without reserve, and henceforth, burning 
with divine love, you should sing to Him : 



66 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 

Thine wholly always will I be; 
Thou hast bestowed Thyself on me ; 
Wholly I give myself to Thee. 

St. Teresa revealed to one of lier nuns, that 
God loves one soul, who, as a spouse, gives herself 
entirely to Him, more than He does a thousand 
tepid and imperfect ones. From these generous 
souls, given entirely to God, is the choir of sera- 
phim completed. The Lord Himself says that He 
loves that soul which attends to perfection so 
much, that He seems not to love any other. ' ' One 
is My love; My perfect one is hut one'' (Cant. 
vi. 8). Hence Blessed Giles exhorted us: ^^'One 
for one/' by which he wished to say, that this one 
soul we have we should give wholly, not divided, 
to that One who alone deserves all love, on whom 
depends all our good, and who loves us more than 
all. Leave all, and you shall find all," says 
Thomas a Kempis. Leave all for God, and in 
God you shall find all. ^^0 soul," concludes St. 
Bernard, ^^be alone, that you may keep yourself 
for Him alone." Keep yourself alone, give no 
part of your affections to creatures, that you may 
belong only to Him, who alone deserves an infinite 
love, and whom alone you should love. 

Prai/er 

^^My Beloved to me, and I to Him" (Cant. ii. 
6). 0 my God! as Thou hast thus given Thyself 
entirely to me, I would be too ungrateful if I 
should not give myself entirely to Thee; since 
Thou wouldst have me belong wholly to Thee, be- 
hold, 0 my Lord! I give myself entirely to Thee. 
Accept me through Thy mercy; disdain me not. 
Grant that this my heart, which once loved 
creatures, may turn now wholly to Thy infinite 



VALUE OF A BAPTIZED SOUL 



67 



goodness. ^'Let me henceforth die," said St. 
Teresa; ^'let another than myself live in me. Let 
God live in me and give me life. Let Him reign, 
and let me be His slave, for my soul wishes no 
other liberty.'' This heart of mine is too small, 

0 God most worthy of love, and it is too little 
able to love Thee, who art deserving of an infinite 
love. I should, then, commit against Thee too 
great an injustice, should I still divide it by loving 
anything besides Thee. I love only Thee, I re- 
nounce all creatures, and I give myself entirely 
to Thee, my Jesus, my saviour, my love, my all. 

1 say, and always will say: ^^What have I in 
heaven, and besides Thee, what do I desire on 
earth? . . . Thou art the God of my heart, and the 
God that is my portion forever" (Ps, Ixxii. 25, 
26). I desire nothing, either in this life or in the 
next, but to possess the treasure of Thy love. God 
of my heart, I am unwilling that creatures should 
have any more a place in my heart; Thou alone 
must be its master. To Thee alone shall it belong 
for the future. Thou alone shalt be my God, my 
repose, my desire, all my love. I say with St. 
Ignatius, ' ' Give me only Thy love and Thy grace, 
and I am rich enough. ' ' 

0 most holy Virgin Mary, obtain for me this, 
that I may be faithful to God, and never make 
void the gift that I have made of myself to Him. 



68 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 



FOUETH MEDITATION 
Zbc Btgnit^ of a IReUaious 

Point I 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

''Eolu beautiful art Thou, my love, how heauti- 
ful art Thou'' {Cant. iv. 1). 

Consider how the Holy Spirit has called into 
existence the various Eeligions Orders in the 
Church. The Savionr has indeed promulgated the 
evangelical counsels and said, ''If thou wilt be 
perfect, go, sell what thou hast, and give it to the 
poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven ; and 
come, follow Me" {Matt. xix. 21). But the pro- 
duction of the Eeligious Orders, with their pe- 
culiar objects and means, is the work of the Holy 
Ghost. It was He that inspired the founders with 
their idea and enlightened, strengthened, and 
guided them in its execution. The Holy Spirit 
gave each Eeligious Order its distinctive charac- 
teristics and approved them by the mouth of the 
Church. The Holy Ghost wishes to render the 
merits of Christ fruitful in the hearts of the in- 
dividual faithful soul and to transform the same 
into a perfect image of Jesus Christ. Among 
the faithful in the world the Holy Spirit finds 
many obstacles to His work. He has, therefore, 
at all times sought out generous souls, animated 
with a desire of perfection. He called them away 
from the noise of the world to serve God with an 
undivided heart and strive after perfection in a 
Eeligious family composed of persons of the same 
mind. This striving after perfection is the essen- 



THE DIGNITY OF A RELIGIOUS 69 



tial obligation of a Religious. To the Religious, 
especially, the Saviour says, ^^Be perfect, as your 
heavenly Father is perfect." The Holy Spirit 
finally inspires and prepares individual souls for 
the religious state. As Jesus, being full of the 
Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan, and was 
led by the Spirit into the desert" (Luke iv. 1), so 
the same Holy Spirit calls and conducts every 
Religious to the solitude of the convent. When 
He has brought the soul to the convent, He there 
gives to each Religious the special grace to acquire 
the spirit of that institute. The means He em- 
ploys to attain this end are the Rules and Consti- 
tutions of the Order, and especially obedience to 
lawful superiors. The voice of the Superior is 
for the subject the voice of God. By blind obedi- 
ence, the Religious becomes a fit subject for the 
interior unhampered operation of the Holy Ghost. 

Thou, my soul, hast received from the Holy 
Spirit this inestimable grace of a vocation to the 
religious state. Thou hast hearkened to that di- 
vine call and entered religion. Thou hast received 
most special blessings. What sacrifices hast thou 
made, what generosity hast thou shown to prove 
thyself worthy of so sublime a calling? Thou hast 
come to be transformed entirely into Christ. 
Canst thou say with St. Paul, live, now, not I, 
but Christ liveth in me 1 ' ' Thou hast taken upon 
thyself the sacred obligation of striving after per- 
fection. How hast thou reconciled thy many acts 
of uncharitableness, thy many murmurings, thy 
spiritual sloth, thy unmortified life, with these 
sacred obligations 1 Art thou a Religious in name, 
in appearance only? Hast thou come to the 
sacred precincts of the convent to be a hypocrite, 
a * * whited sepulcher ' ' ? Consider thy dispositions 
now. Are they the same as they were the day 



70 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 

thou didst enter? Hast thou the same generosity, 
the same humility, the same purity of intention, 
the same fervor as on the day thou didst receive 
the holy habit? Are there not many things in thy 
conduct that conflict with thy good resolutions? 
Behold now is the time to make amends. The 
Holy Spirit in His goodness gives thee this great 
grace of beginning anew. Ask the Holy Spirit to 
pardon thy past inditference. Show by thy rec- 
ollection, by thy fervor during this holy retreat 
that thou wishest to amend, to go back to first 
principles, to begin anew and increase daily in 
fervor. 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 God of love, who hast called me to religion to 
become a perfect copy of my Eedeemer, look upon 
me with an eye of pity ; have mercy on me. I re- 
pent of my negligent, indolent life. I am sincerely 
sorry for all the faults that I have committed 
against the Eule. I detest every violation of my 
vows, and of the spirit of my institute. Par- 
ticularly do I detest my pride, my want of 
charity, my self-indulgence. I desire now to 
begin to love Thee in real earnest. My fervor 
in the future shall exceed my negligence of 
the past. I desire to live entirely in conformity 
to the holy will of God. I long to have Christ 
live anew in me. Give me the grace to compre- 
hend and practise the spirit of this holy institute. 
Make me persevere in Thy love until death. May 
every thought of my mind, every sentiment of my 
heart be henceforth directed to Thee. Help me 
to be generous and disinterested. Make me *'be 
meek and humble of heart. ' ' Help me to live and 
die united to Thee. 



THE DIGNITY OF A RELIGIOUS 



71 



Point II 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider, my soul, what the Holy Spirit de- 
mands, and has a right to expect of thee. He 
has given thee gratuitously the priceless gift of a 
religious vocation. Before He transforms thee 
into the likeness of thy Lord and crowns thee 
with the grace of perseverance, He makes several 
just demands upon thee. 

1. He first requires thee ever to esteem the 
grace of vocation, and never to permit a day to 
pass without expressing to Him the gratitude of 
a loving heart. As the Saviour addressed the 
apostles, so can the Holy Spirit speak to every 
Eeligious. ^^Know you, what I have done to 
your' (John xiill2.) 

2. Then the Holy Spirit demands that thou re- 
nounce the world and sever every bond that unites 
thy heart with it. Thus only can there be any 
question for thee of perfection. The Holy Spirit 
cries to thee in the words of the Eoyal Psalmist: 

Hearken, 0 daughter, and see, and incline thy 
ear; and forget thy people and thy father's house. 
And the king shall greatly desire thy beauty" 
(P5. xliv. 11-12). 

3. Next the Holy Spirit justly asks of thee that 
thou energetically strive after perfection. Thy 
state obliges thee to seek and strive after per- 
fection and to use every means to attain it. If 
thou losest sight of this thou art in reality a Ee- 
ligious in name only, even though thou still be a 
useful member of the Community. 

4. The Holy Spirit finally demands of thee that 
thou give thyself unreservedly to Him, thy 
spiritual Spouse. He asks thee to love Him with 
an undivided heart so that thou canst say with the 



72 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 



spouse in the Canticles, ^^My beloved to me, and I 
to him'^ {Cant. ii. 16). Consider how intensely 
He loves thee, according to His own words : ' ' And 
I will espouse thee to Me forever; and I will 
espouse thee to Me in justice, and judgment, and 
in mercy . . . and thou shalt know that I am 
the Lord" {Osee ii. 19-20). 

So the Holy Spirit demands thee entirely, un- 
reservedly, my soul. Thou shouldst, then, be dead 
to all else and live only for Him, to suffer only for 
Him, to make sacrifices for Him. Eemember that 
He is a jealous God. Of how much coldness, of 
how much indifference, does thy conscience not 
accuse thee I How many days hast thou passed 
without thanking God for thy vocation? How 
many days in dissipation, in idleness 1 How curi- 
ous hast thou been in regard to the news of the 
world? How solicitous to see thy friends and 
relations? How rarely hast thou sacrificed thy 
pride, how often hast permitted thy stubborn will 
to follow its inclination? 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEKS 

0 God of love, I thank Thee now for the great 
grace of a religious vocation. I thank Thee for 
having taken me away from the dangers of the 
world and surrounded me with Thy graces in the 
convent. I detest my past tepidity and negli- 
gence. But I wish to show my gratitude in the 
future. My entire life shall henceforth be con- 
secrated unreservedly to Thee. Every breath that 
I draw, every beat of my heart, every thought of 
my mind, every movement of my will shall hence- 
forth be an act of love for Thee. I desire to live 
only for Thee, only to give Thee pleasure. I de- 
sire to live henceforth entirely in conformity with 
Thy holy will. I desire to serve Thee for Thy 



THE DIGNITY OF A RELIGIOUS 73 



sake alone, only to show my gratitude to Thee for 
the innumerable graces which Thou hast lavished 
upon me. I will strive daily that Christ may be 
formed in me, that I may be meek and humble like 
Him, humble and obedient like the child Jesus at 
Nazareth, patient and obedient like the Man of 
Sorrows upon the cross. 

Resolution 

Hear, then, my resolve, which I make before 
heaven and earth. ' ^ I will save my soul. ' ' I will 
be a most faithful spouse of the Holy Ghost. I 
will shape my life according to the pattern that 
was shown me upon the Mount. I will strive after 
perfection in all my actions. I will be faithful in 
little things. I will be humble, obedient, charita- 
ble at all times. Bless me, 0 God of goodness and 
love, that I may be faithful to my resolutions and 
to Thee until death. 

Mary, my Mother, help me, take me under thy 
protection, and I shall be faithful to my God and 
to thee. 

OPTIONAL KEFLECTION 

XTbe TRettreO %itc 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

Souls that love God find their paradise in the 
retired life, in which they have no communication 
with men. It brings no bitterness nor weariness 
to us to converse with God and to separate our- 
selves from creatures. His conversation has no 
bitterness, nor does His society bring weariness, 
but joy and gladness. Worldly people, with good 
reason, flee from solitude; because in solitude, 
where they are not occupied with diversions or 
worldly business, the remorse of conscience makes 



74 



THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 



itself felt more acutely in their hearts ; and, there- 
fore, such persons seek relief, or at least distrac- 
tion from their thoughts, by conversing with men ; 
but the more they study to forget themselves 
among men, and in the midst of worldly affairs, 
the more they encounter thorns and bitter disap- 
pointments. 

To the lovers of God this does not happen, be- 
cause in their retirement they find a sweet com- 
panion who gives them more comfort and glad- 
ness than the company of all their friends or rela- 
tives, or the highest personages of the earth. St. 
Bernard said, ^ ' I am never less alone than when 
alone, never less alone than when far from men ; 
for then I find God, who speaks to me, and then 
I find myself more ready to listen to Him, and 
more prepared to attach myself to Him." Our 
Saviour desired that His disciples, although He 
had destined them to propagate the Faith by jour- 
neying through the whole world, from time to 
time should leave their labors and retire to soli- 
tude, to commune with God alone. Besides, let 
us remember that Jesus Christ, from the time 
when He began His public life, was wont to send 
them into the different parts of Judea, that they 
might convert sinners; but after their labors He 
also called upon them to retire to some solitary 
place, saying to them, *^Come ye apart to the 
desert, and rest a while; for those who came and 
returned were many, and the disciples had not 
time to eat." 

If Our Lord said, even to the apostles, * ^ Eest a 
while," it is indeed necessary for all holy laborers 
to retire from time to time into solitude, to pre- 
serve their recollection with God, and to obtain 
strength to labor with greater vigor for the sal- 
vation of souls. 



THE DIGNITY OF A RELIGIOUS 75 



He that labors for his neighbor, but with little 
zeal, and with little love for God, retaining some 
object dictated by self-love, and seeking to gain 
honor or wealth, does little for the gaining of 
souls. Therefore Our Lord said to His work- 
men, ^*Rest a little while." Certainly Jesus 
Christ did not mean by this expression that the 
apostles were to slumber, but that they should 
repose in holding communion with God, in pray- 
ing to Him for the graces necessary for living 
well, and thus should gain strength for the work 
of saving souls; for without this rest with God 
in prayer, strength fails for laboring rightly to 
our own benefit and to the profit of others. 

St. Lawrence Justinian wisely remarks, when 
speaking of the retired life, that it is to be al- 
ways loved, but not always possessed, meaning 
to say that they who are called by God to the con- 
version of sinners or instruction of souls must 
not remain always in solitude, shut up in a cell, 
for they would fail of their divine calling, to obey 
which, when it is God who calls them, they must 
leave their retirement ; yet they should never cease 
to love and to sigh for solitude whenever God 
makes it more easy for them to find it. 

0 my Jesus! I have loved solitude little, be- 
cause I have loved Thee little. I have gone about 
seeking pleasures and refreshment from crea- 
tures who have made me lose Thee, the infinite 
good. Miserable am I, that for so many years 
I have kept my heart distracted, thinking only of 
the good things of earth and forgetting Thee. 
Oh, take Thou this heart of mine, since Thou hast 
bought it with Thy blood! Inflame it with Thy 
love, and possess it for Thine own. 0 Mary, 
Queen of Heaven! thou canst obtain for me this 
grace; through thee I hope for it. 



76 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 



EXAMINATION 

©ur %ox^ tbe Cbnstian ir^eal 

Am I filled with reverence for the infinite maj- 
esty of God? Am I grateful for the eternal love 
with which He has loved me ? Do I love Him be- 
cause He has loved me first? Because He is de- 
serving of all love? Do I appreciate the benefits 
of creation and redemption? Do I realize that 
I am the immortal image of God! Am I aware 
that I am hastening to eternity? Am I mindful 
that I am created for heaven? Do I realize that 
every step I take brings me nearer to heaven or 
to hell, to God or to Satan, to eternal happiness 
or to unending woe? Am I actuated by the im- 
portance of saving my soul at any price? '^What 
will a man give in exchange for his soul ? ' ' What 
have the saints done for heaven? Can I not do 
with God's grace what they have done? How 
have I acted as a child of God? Have I forgotten 
that I have renounced Satan and all his works and 
pomps? Am I aware that I swore allegiance to 
Jesus Christ? He bore His cross for me; do I 
bear mine for Him? He died to save my soul; 
have I been mindful of **the one thing necessary''? 
He has been faithful to me; have I been faithful 
to Him? 

The Holy Spirit called me to religion that I 
might receive a beautiful crown in heaven. Do I 
appreciate my vocation more than when I en- 
tered? Am I filled with gratitude for this great 
grace? Have I ever looked back to the world 
with regret and envy? Am I determined to per- 
severe? To labor, suffer, and pray with great 
generosity? To do great things for the honor 
and glory of God, for the good of my neighbor, 
for my own sanctification, for the sake of the re- 



THE DIGNITY OF A RELIGIOUS 77 



ward of heaven? Have I always regarded life 
from the standpoint of almighty God and of eter- 
nity! Do I, now, at least, prefer the spiritual to 
the material, the eternal to the temporal, heaven 
to hell, God to the flesh, the world, and the devil ? 
Am I determined to become a saint, even if no 
one else will, for the love of God and for the sake 
of the eternal reward? 



Iprotestatlon tot a Ibaw^ Deatb 

(Froyn St. Alphonsus) 

My God, prostrate in Thy presence, I adore 
Thee ; and I intend to make the following protesta- 
tions, as if I were on the point of passing from 
this life to eternity: 

My Lord, because Thon art infallible truth, and 
hast revealed it to Thy holy Church, I believe in 
the mystery of the most holy Trinity, Father, 
Son, and Holy Ghost, three Persons, but only one 
God, who eternally rewards the just with heaven, 
and punishes sinners in hell. I believe that the 
second Person — that is, the Son of God — became 
man and died for the salvation of men ; and I be- 
lieve all that the holy Church believes. I thank 
Thee for having made me a Christian ; and I pro- 
test that I wish to live and die in this holy faith. 

0 God, my hope, trusting in Thy promises, 1 
hope from Thy mercy, not through my merits, 
but through the merits of Jesus Christ, for the 
pardon of my sins, perseverance in Thy grace, 
and, after this miserable life, for the glory of 
heaven. And should the devil at death tempt me 
to despair at the sight of my sins, I protest that 
I wish always to hope in Thee, my Lord, and that 
I wish to die in the loving arms of Thy goodness. 



78 THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 

0 God, worthy of infinite love, I love Thee with 
my whole heart, and more than I love myself ; and 
I protest that I wish to die making an act of love, 
that thus I may continue to love Thee for eternity 
in heaven ; which, for this purpose, I ask and de- 
sire of Thee. And if, 0 Lord, instead of loving 
Thee, I have hitherto despised Thy infinite good- 
ness, I am sorry for it with my whole heart, and 
I protest that I wish to die bewailing and detesting 
forever the offences I have offered to Thee. I 
purpose, for the future, to die rather than com- 
mit another sin. And, for the love of Thee, I par- 
don all who have offended me. 

0 my God! I accept death, and all the pains 
that will accompany my death. I unite them to 
the sorrows and to the death of Jesus Christ, 
and offer them in honor of Thy supreme dominion, 
and in satisfaction for my sins. 0 Lord ! for the 
sake of the great sacrifice of Himself which Thy 
divine Son offered on the altar of the cross, ac- 
cept this sacrifice of my life which I offer to Thee. 
I now, for the moment of my death, resign myself 
entirely to Thy divine will, protesting that I wish 
to die, saying, ' ' 0 Lord ! Thy will be always done. ' ' 
Most holy Virgin Mary, my advocate and my 
mother, thou, after God, art and shalt be my hope 
and consolation at the hour of death. I now in- 
voke thee, and pray thee to assist me in that last 
moment. Come, then, and take my soul, and pre- 
sent it to thy Son. From this moment I expect 
thee, and hope to die under thy protection and 
prostrate at thy feet. My protector, St. Joseph, 
St. Michael, the archangel, my guardian angel, my 
holy patrons, come all, and assist me in that last 
battle with hell. 

And Thou, my crucified Love, Thou, my Jesus, 
who, to obtain for me a good death, hast volun- 



THE DIGNITY OF A EELIGIOUS 



79 



tarily chosen so painful a one as that of the cross, 
remember at that hour that I am one of the sheep 
which Thou hast purchased with Thy blood. 0 
my Saviour, who alone can console me and save 
me at that hour when every one on this earth will 
have abandoned me, and when no friend will be 
able to assist me, make me then worthy to receive 
Thee as my Viaticum 1 Do not permit me to lose 
Thee forever, and forever to remain at a distance 
from Thee. No, my beloved Saviour ; since I now 
embrace Thee, receive me then into Thy holy 
wounds. At my last breath I intend to breathe 
forth my soul into the loving wound in Thy side, 
saying now, for that moment : Jesus and Mary, I 
give you my heart and my soul ; Jesus and Mary, 
I give you my heart and my soul. 

Happy suffering, to suffer for God! Happy 
death, to die in the Lord! 

I embrace thee, 0 my good Eedeemer, that I 
may die in Thy embraces. If, 0 my soul! at thy 
departure from this world, Mary assists thee, and 
Jesus receives thee, death will be for thee not 
death, but sweet repose. 

'Tis blessed to suffer, Creator most kind ; 

^Tis blessed to die, and to suffer for Thee. 
I embrace Thee, 0 Crucified! hoping to find 

Thine arms everlasting in death circling me. 
So it will not be death, but ineffable rest, 

That shall close at the last on these earth-wearied eyes, 
When my forehead by Mary is soothingly prest, 

And Jesus receives my last penitent sighs. 

PEAYER FOR HAPPY DEATH 

My Lord Jesus Christ, by that bitterness which 
Thou didst endure on the cross, when Thy blessed 
soul was departed from Thy most sacred body, 
have pity on my sinful soul, when it leaves my 
miserable body to enter into eternity. 



80 



THE DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL 



0 Mary! by that grief which thou didst ex- 
perience on Calvary in seeing Jesus expire on 
the cross before thine eyes, obtain for me a good 
death, that loving Jesus and thee, my mother, in 
this life, I may attain heaven, where I shall love 
thee for all eternity. Amen. 



HYMN 

(3o& tbc Creator 

{From St, Alphonsus) 

Why didst Thou not create my soul 

From all eternity, 
Since from eternity, dear Lord! 

Thou always lovest me? 

For then to Thee a grateful love 
My heart could have returned 

From that first moment all imsought 
Thy love for me has burned. 

I pme not now for the delights 

Of paradise above, 
But only to behold Thy face, 

And gaze on Thee in love. 

I longed to be forever fixed 
In that blest changeless state, 

Where I might love Thee with a love 
Immeasurably great. 

I look around : amazed, I cry, 
Is it, alas ! for this— 

This lump of earth, this ant-hill vile- 
Men lose eternal bliss? 

To suffer or to die, my soul ! 

For if thou canst not gain 
The battle to be fought on earth, 

In heaven thou canst not reign. 

God sees me— and He is my judge; 

The sentence, heaven or hell ; 
And there where'er my doom decides. 

Forever shall I dwell. 



THE SECOND DAY 



Zbe Wa^ of jeiamination 

Dedicated to the Spirit of Piety 
Disposition. — Sincerity. 

Motto. — ^^Lord, that I may see'' {Luke xviii. 

The special end of this day's holy exercises is 
to examine into the past, to discover how far the 
soul has adopted the Christian Ideal in theory 
and in practice, and in what it has failed. 

Eeading. — The spirit of yonr Institute, from 
your Rules and Constitutions. 

PRAYER TO OBTAIN THE GIFT OF PIETY 

Holy Spirit, divine consoler! I adore Thee as 
my true God, just as I adore God the Father and 
God the Son. I bless Thee by uniting myself to 
the blessings that Thou dost receive from the 
angels and the saints. I offer Thee my whole 
heart, and I give to Thee heartfelt thanks for all 
the benefits that Thou hast bestowed and dost un- 
ceasingly bestow upon the world. Thou who art 
the author of all supernatural gifts, and who didst 
enrich with immense favors the soul of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary, the mother of God, I beseech Thee 
to visit me by Thy grace and Thy love, and to 
grant me the gift of piety, in order that I may in 
future serve Thee with greater fervor, follow 
with greater promptness Thy holy inspirations, 

81 ' 



82 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



and observe with greater exactness Thy holy pre- 
cept. 

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, Glory be to the 
Father, three times. 

THOUGHTS AND EJACULATIONS 

Would that I had died before I ever offended 
Thee. 

I will rather die than lose God. 
My God help me for the love of Jesus Christ. 
Let me give myself entirely to Thee this day. 
Mary my hope, have pity on me. 



FIEST MEDITATION" 
XTbe /iDaltce of Sin 

Point I 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider, my soul, the malice of actual sin. 
God has a fourfold undeniable right upon man, 
and man deliberately tramples upon this right 
whenever he commits an actual sin. 

1. God is the Lord and Master of the universe. 
^'He spoke and they were made'' (Ps, xxxii. 
9). The heavenly choirs constantly sing, ^'Holy, 
holy, holy. Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, 
and who is to come" {Apoc, iv. 4-8). For the 
Lord our God is worthy to receive glory and 
honor and power, because He has created all 
things. God requires reverence and homage 
as the all-powerful One. His power indeed ex- 
tends from heaven to earth. His wisdom directs 
all. He has arranged everything by His all-wise 



THE MALICE OF SIN 



83 



providence. He is present to all creation by His 
essence. The universe gives testimony of His 
glory. The angels adore Him with profound 
reverence. Man, too, is His creature and owes 
Him submission. When, therefore, man breaks 
the law of God, he deliberately and freely slights 
the God of infinite power. And he does this 
under the very eyes of almighty God Himself. 

2. Man, moreover, owes God, the ruler of the 
universe, obedience and submission. Could there 
be a higher authority than that of God over His 
creatures? Now God has made His will clearly 
known to man. And yet man, who is but dust and 
ashes, has rebelled against his Creator by actual 
sin. He says with Lucifier, '^I will not serve." 
I care not for His commandment. I will live as 
I please, and not as pleases Him. ^^Who is the 
Almighty, ' ' the sinner asks, ' ' that we should serve 
Him?" {Job xxi. 15). ''For he hath stretched 
out his hand against God and hath strengthened 
himself against the Almighty" {Job xv. 25). 

My soul, thou art upon earth only to please 
God. All that thou art, all that thou hast, 
all that thou canst ever be, must come from 
Him. He is the Lord, the Master. He has a 
perfect right to thy undivided service. He com- 
mands thee to keep His holy law, to reverence 
and do homage to His sacred being, to acknowl- 
edge thy dependence upon Him. How often hast 
thou refused to render that homage, how often 
hast thou transgressed His holy law ! How often, 
instead of showing thy love, thy gratitude, hast 
thou murmured and rebelled against thy best 
friend, thy greatest benefactor! Thou art but 
dust; how, then, darest thou rebel against the 
God of infinite power and majesty! How dare 
refuse to revere, obey, and love, when He asks 



84 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



it, or demands it! and that in His very presence, 
to His very face? 

AFFECTIONS AND PKAYEES 

0 Lord God, king of all ages, behold a miser- 
able creature before Thee who has often rebelled 
against Thee, who has refused Thee the homage 
of his heart, even after Thou didst condescend 
to ask it. I am a most ungrateful sinner. I have 
offended Thee, my God, who hast loved me so 
much. I deserve no pardon. The fire of hell is 
my just portion, after the stubborn, insolent, dis- 
obedient life that I have led. But I will sin no 
more. I wish to change my life. I really desire 
to reverence Thee, to obey Thee, to love Thee, 
with all my heart. I will never again sin against 
Thee. I will live entirely in conformity to Thy 
holy will. Thy will shall be my will. Never will 
I forget my wickedness in sinning against Thee. 
*^My sins shall be before me always." ^^Wash 
me, 0 Lord, more and more, that I may become 
whiter than snow." Enlighten my mind, di- 
rect my heart, increase my strength, that I may 
always do Thy holy will. Keep me from sin. 
Eather take away my life than permit me ever 
wilfully to offend Thee again. 

Point II 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

We owe God gratitude and love. The greater, 
the more spontaneous the gift, the more unde- 
serving the recipient, the greater should be the 
gratitude and love manifested in return. God 
has done more for us than all our relatives, than 
all our friends, than the entire world could do for 
us. Every best gift, and every perfect gift is 



THE ]\iALICE OF SIN 



85 



from above, coming down from the Father of 
lights" {J as. i. 17). In fact, man's entire life 
is a continuous chain of divine favors. These 
favors, these blessings, are of the highest value, 
of the greatest moment. God has, indeed, moved 
heaven and earth to make man happy. He has 
even gone so far as to sacrifice His only begotten 
Son for our sake, ^'For God so loved the world 
as to give His only begotten Son, that whosoever 
believeth in Him may not perish, but may have 
life everlasting'' {John iii. 16). He has done 
this, as He Himself says, out of love for us. '^I 
have loved thee with an everlasting love, there- 
fore have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee" 
(Jer. xxxi. 3). And all these favors, these marks 
of love, were entirely undeserved by man. It 
would naturally seem, then, that man, overcome 
with gratitude for the love that was shown him, 
would gladly do all that he could apprehend to be 
the good pleasure of his great benefactor. But, 
alas, this is not the case. By his action man says 
to the God of love: ^'I despise your favor, I 
mock your solicitude which is so much concerned 
in my welfare. You bless me, but I curse You in 
return. ' ' 

Man, finally, owes God, his final end, the most 
perfect good, the preference to all earthly things. 
God has a right to be the first object of man's 
longings and exertions. God has, indeed, gone 
so far in His love for man that He has promised 
the eternal possession of heaven, with the 
beatific vision; in a word, a participation in all 
His eternal beatitude, as the reward for man's 
service. This inestimable reward should spur 
man on and give him courage to make God the 
object of all his thoughts and desires. This, in- 
deed, should move man to spend the few years of 



86 THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



his life in faithful service. For only the pos- 
session of God, of heaven, can render man per- 
fectly happy. But, alas, man thinks more of tran- 
sitory pleasures than he does of the eternal joys 
of heaven. He prefers time to eternity. 

Art thou, my soul, one of those ungrateful 
wretches that curse the God who blesses thee? 
Why dost thou refuse Him that gratitude and love 
which thou givest to His very creatures? He is 
thy best friend, thy generous benefactor. He has 
gone so far as to satisfy for thy past sins by the 
death of His only-begotten Son upon the cross. 
But now He demands that thou stop sinning, that 
thou appreciate His goodness, and return love 
for love. To draw thee on to serve Him, He 
promises thee eternal beatitude, eternal posses- 
sion of Himself. Wilt thou not repent? Oh, 
promise Him that thou wouldst rather die a thou- 
sand deaths, that thou wouldst rather die this 
moment, rather suffer anything, than ever offend 
this God of goodness again. 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

How can I dare to approach Thee, 0 God of 
love, after I have been so ungrateful, after I have 
so often rebelled against Thy ordinances, trans- 
gressed Thy holy law so frequently, so deliber- 
ately, so wilfully! May I still hope for pardon? 
My hope is in the merits of Thy Son, who died for 
me. I repent of all my sins; I repent because I 
lost my right to heaven, because I deserved hell 
for preferring a creature to Thee. I am heartily 
sorry because I have offended Thee, Father al- 
mighty, my creator, preserver of all things, the re- 
deemer of mankind, God of goodness and of love. 
Thou art the joy of the angels and of the saints. 
Thou art a reward exceedingly great. Accept my 



THE MALICE OF SIN 



87 



sorrow. Give me a sorrow equal to my sins. 
May they ever be before my eyes to remind me of 
Thy great love and of my base ingratitude. ' ' My 
sins shall be before me always." I desire, hence- 
forth, to love Thee, to serve Thee as faithfully 
as the angels serve Thee in heaven, as perfectly, 
were it possible, as the blessed Virgin Mary 
served Thee npon earth. Help me to love and 
serve Thee. Prevent me from falling into sin 
again. I trust in the promises of my Saviour. 
I confide in the protection of Mary. 

Resolution 

I will avoid sin as the greatest evil, because it 
robs God of the reverence and homage due Him, 
because it deprives Him of the obedience and sub- 
mission that I owe Him, because it takes from 
Him that gratitude and love that is His due, but 
especially because it divides with a creature that 
love which is entirely due to God. 0 God, have 
mercy npon me. 

Mary, thou art my hope ! Save me from sin ! 



OPTIONAL REFLECTION 

602) Deserves to be XoveD Bbove Bver^tWng 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

St. Teresa said that it was a great favor that 
God should call a sonl to love Him. Let us, then, 
love Him, since we are called to this love, and 
let us love Him as He desires to be loved. ' ' Thou 
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart." 
The venerable Louis da Ponte felt ashamed at say- 
ing to God, ''0 Lord, I love Thee above every- 
thing ; I love Thee more than all creatures, than all 



88 THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



riches, than all honors, than all earthly pleas- 
ures"; for it seemed to him that it was equiva- 
lent to saying, ''My God, I love Thee more than 
straw, and smoke, and dust." 

But God is satisfied that we should love Him 
above all things. Therefore, at least, let us say: 
''Yea, 0 Lord! I love Thee more than all the 
honors of the world, more than all its riches, 
more than all my kindred and friends; I love 
Thee more than health, more than my good name, 
more than science, more than all my comforts; I 
love Thee more than everything I possess, more 
than myself. ' ' 

Ah, let us still further say: 0 Lord! I value 
Thy graces and Thy gifts ; but more than all Thy 
gifts, I love Thyself, who alone art infinite good- 
ness, and a good worthy of infinite love, which 
exceeds every other good thing. And, therefore, 
0 my God, whatever Thou mayest give me short 
of Thyself, which is not Thyself, is not sufficient 
for me; if Thou givest me Thyself, Thou alone 
art sufficient for me. Let others seek what they 
will, I will seek nothing but Thee alone, my love, 
my all. In Thee alone I receive all that I can find 
or desire." 

The sacred Spouse said, that above all things, 
she had chosen to love her beloved : ' ' My beloved 
is fair and ruddy, and chosen out of thousands." 
And whom shall we choose to lovef Among all 
our friends of this world, where can we find a 
friend more worthy of love and more faithful than 
God, or one who has loved us more than God? 
Let us pray, then, and let us pray continually, 
* ' 0 Lord ! draw me after Thee ; for if Thou dost 
not draw me after Thee, I can not come to Thee. ' ' 

0 Jesus! my Saviour, when will it be that, 
stripped of all other affections, I may ask and 



THE IMALICE OF SIN 



89 



seek for none but Thee! I fain would detaeli 
myself from everything; but some importunate 
auctions constantly enter my heart, and draw 
me away from Thee. Detach me, then, from all 
things with Thy powerful hand, and make Thy- 
self the one object of all my affections and all 
my thoughts. 

St. Augustine said that he who has God has 
everything, and he who has not God has nothing. 
What do riches profit a man if he lives apart from 
Godf What does it profit a monarch to extend 
his dominions, if he has not the grace of God? 
"What does it profit a man of letters to understand 
many sciences and languages, if he knows not 
how to love God! While David was yet king, 
but in a state of sin, he walked in his gardens, he 
went to his sports and all other pleasures; but 
these things seemed to say, ^' Where is thy God? 
Wouldst thou seek in us thy happiness ? Go seek 
God, whom thou hast left, for He alone can give 
thee rest.^' And thus David confessed that, in 
the midst of all these pleasures, he found not 
peace, and mourned night and day, considering 
that he was without God. * ' Tears were my bread 
night and day, while they daily said to me. Where 
is thy Godr' 

In the midst of the miseries and toils of this 
world, who can console us better than Jesus 
Christ ? He alone says, * ^ Come to me, all ye that 
labor, and are heavy burdened, and I will re- 
fresh you." 0 folly of the worldly! One single 
tear shed for our sins, one cry, ^^My God!" 
uttered in love by a soul in a state of grace, is 
worth more than a thousand festivals, a thou- 
sand plays, a thousand banquets, in giving con- 
tentment to a heart in love with the world. I 
say again, 0 folly! and a folly, too, which none 



90 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



can remedy when there comes that death, when 
it is night, as the Gospel says, ^^The night cometh, 
in which no man can work." A^Hierefore Our 
Lord warns ns to walk while the light favors ns ; 
for the night will come, when no man can walk. 
Let God alone, then, be all onr treasure, all our 
love ; and let all our desire be to please Him, who 
will not suffer us to surpass Him in love. He 
rewards a hundredfold everything that we do 
to give Him pleasure. 

0 my God, and all my good ! be Thou the ruling 
power of my soul ; and as I would choose to love 
Thee above all things, so do Thou grant that in all 
things I may prefer Thy will to my own pleasure. 
0 my Jesus ! I trust in Thy blood, that, through 
all my life that remains, I may love none but 
Thee upon this earth, that I may come one day 
to possess Thee forever in the kingdom of the 
blessed. 0 holy Virgin! aid me with thy power- 
ful prayers, and carry me to kiss thy feet in para- 
dise. 

OPTIONAL EEADIISTG 

tTbe %itc of a IReUaious tbc %itc of Jesus Cbdst 

{From St. Alphonsiis) 

The Apostle says that the eternal Father pre- 
destines to the kingdom of heaven those only who 
live conformably to the life of the incarnate 
Word: **Whom He foreknew He also predes- 
tinated to be made conformable to the image of 
His Son" (Rom, viii. 29). How happy then, and 
secure of paradise, should not Eeligious be, seeing 
that God has called them to a state of life which 
of all states is the most conformable to the life of 
Jesus Christ. 



THE MALICE OF SIN 



91 



Jesus on this earth wished to live poor as the 
son and helpmate of a mechanic, in a poor dwell- 
ing, with poor clothing and poor food. Being 
rich. He became poor for yonr sake, that through 
His poverty yon might be rich^' (2 Cor. viii. 9). 
Moreover, He chose a life the most entirely morti- 
fied, far from the delights of the world, and al- 
ways full of pain and sorrow, from His birth to 
His death; hence by the prophet He is called 
^'the Man of Sorrows.'' By this He wished to 
give His servants to understand what should be 
the life of those who wished to follow Him. *^If 
any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, 
and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Matt. 
xvi. 24). According to this example, and to this 
invitation of Jesus Christ, the saints have en- 
deavored to dispossess themselves of all earthly 
goods, and to load themselves with pains and 
crosses, in order thus to follow Christ, their be- 
loved Lord. Thus acted St. Benedict, who, be- 
ing the son of the lord of Noricia, and a relative 
of the Emperor Justinian, and born amidst the 
riches and the pleasures of the world, while yet 
a youth of only fourteen years went to live in a 
cavern on Mount Subiaco, where he received no 
other sustenance than a piece of bread brought 
him every day as an alms by the hermit Eomanus. 

So acted St. Francis of Assisi, who renounced 
in favor of his father the whole lawful portion of 
his inheritance, even to the shirt he had on his 
back, and thus, poor and mortified, consecrated 
himself to Jesus Christ. Thus St. Francis 
Borgia, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, the one being duke 
of Gandia, the other Marquis of Castiglione, 
left all their riches, their estates, their vassals, 
their country, their house, their parents, and went 
to live a poor life in religion. 



92 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



At present, worldlings think those to be fools 
who renounce earth for heaven, but in the valley 
of Josaphat they will know that they themselves 
have been the fools ; and when they see the saints 
on their thrones crowned by God, they will say, 
lamenting and in despair: ^' These are they 
whom we had sometime in derision. . . . "We fools 

esteemed their life madness Behold how 

they are numbered among the children of 
God, and their lot is among the saints" {Wis. 
v. 3-5). 

Prayer 

Ah ! my Master and my Eedeemer Jesus, I am, 
then, of the number of those fortunate ones whom 
Thou hast called to follow Thee. 0 my Lord! 
I thank Thee for this. I leave all ; I would I had 
more to leave, that I might draw near to Thee, 
my King and my God, who for the love of me, and 
to give me courage by Thy example, hast chosen 
for Thyself a life so poor and so painful. Lead 
on, 0 Lord! I will follow Thee. Choose Thou 
for me what cross Thou wilt, and help me. I will 
always carry it with constancy and love. I re- 
gret that for the past I have abandoned Thee, to 
follow my own desires and the vanities of the 
world, but now I will leave Thee no more. Bind 
me to Thy cross, and if through weakness I some- 
times resist, draw me by the sweet bonds of Thy 
love. Suffer not that I should ever leave Thee 
again. Yes, my Jesus, I renounce all the satis- 
factions of the world; my only satisfaction shall 
be to continue to love Thee, and to sufPer all that 
pleases Thee. I hope thus to come to myself one 
day in Thy kingdom, to be united to Thee by that 
bond of eternal love, where, loving Thee in Thy 
unveiled glory, I need no more fear to be cast oft 



THE SIN OF A CHRISTIAN 



93 



and separated from Thee. I love Thee, 0 my 
God, my all! and will always love Thee. 

Behold my hope, 0 most holy Mary, thou who, 
because the most conformed to Jesus, art now 
the most powerful to obtain this grace. Be thou 
my protectress ! 



SECOND MEDITATION 
Ube Sin of a CbrtsUan 

Point I 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider the heinous wrong a Christian does 
to his own soul when he commits a mortal sin. 

1. That soul was made by the divine Creator 
to the image and likeness of the Most High. By 
its very nature it has a resemblance to God. 
Though man can not totally destroy this likeness 
by sin, he can deliberately degrade this likeness 
and ruin it. Yes, by sin he defiles and soils this 
image of almighty God. By mortal sin man casts 
this image of God in a sink of corruption and 
shockingly sullies that likeness which the Holy 
Spirit has indelibly impressed upon it. 

2. By Baptism man becomes a child of grace. 
A new supernatural resemblance to God is con- 
ferred upon his soul. A new bond of union, the 
bond of charity, now unites this favored soul to 
God. A new beauty, the dazzling wedding garment 
of sanctifying grace, is put upon that soul by the 
Spirit of love and is made the cause of rejoicing 
in the kingdom of heaven. By one mortal sin all 
this supernatural splendor is annihilated. The 



94 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



soul is robbed of all her spiritual beauty and be- 
comes an abomination before the Lord, an object 
of horror in the sight of heaven. That soul has 
fallen from grace, has died the death of sin, and 
become a decaying corpse in the sight of the Al- 
mighty. The venial sins that man commits are 
like so many festering ulcers, like shocking can- 
cers upon the soul. Wilt thou not realize how 
this grieves the heavenly Father and saddens 
the Holy Spirit, who brought forth that soul to 
the spiritual life? 

Thou, my soul, wert made to the image and 
likeness of God. In holy Baptism thou wert born 
again, born to a supernatural life, a life of grace. 
Thou didst become a child of God, a partaker of 
the divine nature itself. Thou wert doubly then 
the likeness of God. Thou didst resemble God 
more than ever a human child resembled its par- 
ent. Thou didst well know the goodness of thy 
heavenly Father, the malice, the wickedness of 
sin, and yet, alas, alas, how many sins hast thou 
committed during life ! How often hast thou sad- 
dened the heart of God by thy sinful conduct? 
How often displeased the Holy Spirit who 
brought thee forth to the supernatural life? How 
often hast thou steeped the precious image of 
God in the mire of sin? How often hast thou 
permitted frightful, horrible ulcers of sin to ap- 
pear and fester, even taken a fiendish delight in 
their abomination? How often, perhaps, torn off 
the garment of sanctifying grace by mortal sin! 
How often robbed thyself of that supernatural re- 
semblance to the God of infinite perfection, of in- 
finite love, solely to gratify some fancy, some in- 
ordinate desire! 



THE SIN OF A CHRISTIAN 



95 



AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

Fool that I liave been! If I have a picture of 
a dear relative or friend I treasure it with great 
care. But how negligent have I been about my 
likeness of almighty God, especially since it has 
been a mark of His special regard for me. Other 
pictures will perish with time, but this likeness is 
indelibly imprinted upon my soul. Ah, I lament 
that I have not treasured this divine image more, 
I lament that I have been so ungrateful, so in- 
different. But, henceforth, I desire to make 
amends for the past. I desire to do penance for 
my sins. I will purify my soul from every stain ; 
I will be most careful to avoid whatever may sully 
the image of God within me. I will treasure my 
wedding garment with great care. I hope to 
wear it undefiled till my last breath, to esteem 
it as I ought for its own sake, and out of gratitude 
to almighty God. 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

In Baptism the soul of man became the temple 
of the Holy Ghost. The dispenser of grace has 
taken up His abode there to apply to the soul the 
infinite merits of Jesus Christ. He entered to 
plant the seed of virtue and He tends it that it 
may blossom and bear fruit. He wishes the 
higher, supernatural life to flourish. How great 
an honor is this for man! But when man com- 
mits a mortal sin he expels the divine Sanctifier. 
That Christian desecrates the temple of the Holy 
Ghost; he converts the sanctuary of grace into a 
place of execration. This is **the abomination in 
the holy place." For the Apostle says, *^Know 
you not that you are the temple of God and that 
the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? But if any 



96 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



man violate tlie temple of God, him shall God 
destroy" (1 Cor. iii. 16). 

God had always been jealous of His temple. 
Baltassar, the kmg of Babylon, did but desecrate 
the holy vessel that his father had brought from 
Jerusalem. And that very night the hand of God 
appeared and wrote the king's death sentence 
upon the wall before him. 

By Baptism, finalty, the human soul became a 
member of Christ's mystical body. It became a 
member of the one true Church, a branch of the 
divine vine, so that the supernatural life with all 
its fertility could flow into it from Christ. It is 
the Holy Spirit who effects this wonderful union 
between the soul and Christ and causes the life- 
giving blood, the life of grace, to circulate from 
the head to all the members. Thus, this divine 
spirit puts the soul in a position to produce in it- 
self supernatural virtues, according to the model 
and example of the incarnate Son of God. 

But what does the Christian do when he know- 
ingly and willingly commits a mortal sin? He 
deliberately casts his Saviour away, and tramples 
on His all-embracing love. He tears himself 
away from the embrace of his divine friend, from 
the heart of his loving redeemer, and thereby 
causes deep wounds to himself and to Him. He 
inflicts a mortal wound upon himself, so that the 
higher divine life in him perishes, and he becomes 
a dead 'branch on the vine, a branch that deserves 
to be cast into the fire. 

Yes, my soul, thou hast been made the temple of 
the Most High. In holy Baptism thou didst be- 
come a member of Christ's mystical body, a 
branch on the true vine, so that thou couldst live 
in Christ and Christ h've in thee. But, alas, if 
thou hast committed ])ut one mortal sin thou hast 



THE SIN OF A CHRISTIAN 



97 



fallen like a star from heaven ! Thou hast driven 
the Spirit of love from thee and torn thyself away 
from the divine Heart on which thou couldst rest 
thy weary head like the favorite disciple. How 
many reasons hast thou to remember the sins of 
thy past life in the bitterness of thy soul and to ad- 
dress the Holy Spirit in the words of the Eoyal 
Psalmist: ^^Have mercy upon me, 0 God, ac- 
cording to Thy great mercy. And according to 
the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my 
iniquity'; {Ps, LI). For if Thou, 0 Lord, wilt 
mark iniquities. Lord, who shall stand {Ps. 
cxxix. 3). How frequently hast thou not com- 
mitted at least venial sins that have wounded 
thee severely, that have grieved the Holy Spirit 
and weakened thy bond of union with Christ? 
How often perhaps committed mortal sin and 
thus died a spiritual death! 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEKS 

I am a most miserable, a wretched sinner, I 
have deliberately destroyed the temple of the 
Most High. I have rebelled against my Saviour 
and nailed Him anew to the cross by my sins. 
I am the cause of Thy complaint to Blessed Mar- 
garet Mary Alacoque, ^^What pains Me most is 
that even souls specially consecrated to Me 
should inflict injuries upon Me. ' ' If I have been 
one of these souls in the past, I will be so no 
longer. Pardon me my great iniquity. Thou 
^^dost not wish the death of the sinner, but that 
he be converted and live." I cast myself, as the 
returned prodigal, at Thy feet. Permit me, 
henceforth, to be the least of Thy servants. I 
repent of all my past sins. I will offend Thee 
no more. I desire to live only for Thee. I hope 
yet to be a worthy temple of the Holy Spirit. 



98 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



With Tliy grace I will rise again to the life of 
grace. I will again try to produce those fruits of 
virtue which Thou invitest me to learn of Thee. 

Resolution 

I firmly resolve to repair in my soul the effects 
of sin by contrition, penance, voluntary mortifica- 
tion, and patience in all trials. I will never again 
grieve the Holy Spirit by any deliberate sin. I 
will be ever mindful of the admonition of the 
Apostle: Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, 
whereby you are sealed unto the day of Eedemp- 
tion'' (EpJi. iv. 30). 

My Jesus bless my good resolution. 0 Mary; 
I place all my hope in thee. 

OPTIONAL EEFLECTrONS 

©n Xovfng (5oD Mitbout tRcecvvc 

(From St. AlpJionsus) 

St. Philip Neri said that so much of our love 
as we fix upon creatures we take away from God ; 
and therefore, our Saviour, as St. Jerome wrote, 
is jealous of our hearts. As He Himself has 
loved us so abundantly, He desires to reign alone 
in our hearts, and to have no rivals there who 
may rob Him of a portion of that love which He 
desires to have wholly to Himself; and therefore 
it displeases Him to see us attached to any affec- 
tion which is not from Him. And does our 
Saviour ask too much, after having given His own 
blood and life, dying for us upon the cross? Does 
He not deserve to be loved by us with all our 
hearts, and without reserve? 

St. John of the Cross said that ever}^ attach- 
ment to creatures hinders us from belonging 



THE SIN OF A CHRISTIAN 



99 



wholly to God. '^Wlio will give me the wings of 
a dove, that I may fiy away and be at rest!" says 
the Psalmist. There are souls who are called by 
God to become saints, but who, coming to Him 
with reserve, and not giving Him their whole 
love, retain some affection for earthly things, and 
thus never become, and never will become, holy. 
They fain would fly, but being held down by some 
attachment they can not but remain fixed upon 
earth. We must, therefore, strip ourselves of 
everything. Every attachment, says the same St. 
John, whether great or small, hinders the soul 
from flying to God. 

St. Gertrude once prayed to Our Lord that He 
would teach her what He would have her do. He 
answered, ^^I desire nothing from thee but a de- 
voted heart." And it was this which David 
sought from God, ^ ' Create in me a clean heart, 0 
God ! " 0 my God, give me a pure heart ; that is, 
emptied and stripped of every earthly affection. 

^'All for all,'^ wrote Thomas a Kempis. To 
gain all, we must give all. To possess God, we 
must leave all that is not God. Then the soul 
can say to its Lord, * ' My Jesus, I have left all for 
Thee; give Thyself wholly to me." To attain 
this, we must not cease to beg of God that He 
would fill us with His holy love. Love is that 
mighty fire that burns up in our hearts every af- 
fection that is not for God. St. Francis de Sales 
said that when a house is in flames we throw the 
furniture out of the windows ; by which he meant 
that when a soul is inflamed, and the divine love 
takes possession of it, it has no need of sermons 
or spiritual directors to detach it from the world ; 
the love of God itself will cleanse the heart, and 
purge it of every impure desire. 

Holy love is introduced in the Canticles under 



100 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



the symbol of a cellar of wine: *^The king 
brought me into the wine-cellar; He created love 
within me." In this blessed cellar the souls that 
are the brides of Christ, inebriated with the wine 
of holy love, lose all desire for the things of the 
world, admire God alone, in all things seek God 
alone, speak only of God, and desire to think only 
of God; and when they hear others speak of 
riches, dignities and pleasures, they turn to God 
and say to Him with a burning sigh, ^'My God, 
and my all!" What a world, what pleasures, 
what honors! Be Thou all my joy, all my con- 
tentment. St. Teresa wrote, when speaking of 
the prayer of union with God, that this union 
consists in dying to all worldly things, in order 
to possess nothing but God. 

That a soul may give itself wholly to God, three 
things are especially necessary; (1.) The avoid- 
ance of all defects, even the very least, accom- 
panied with conquests over every inordinate 
desire, such as an abstinence from observing an 
object of sight or hearing, from certain little 
pleasures of sense, from certain witty or un- 
necessary conversations. (2.) Among things 
which are good, the constant choice of those that 
are the best and the most pleasing to God. 
(3.) The receiving with peace of mind and 
thanksgiving, from the divine hands, all things 
that are displeasing to our self-love. 

0 my Jesus, my love, my all! how can I see 
Thee dying upon a shameful cross, despised by all, 
and consumed by anguish, and then go and re- 
ceive earthly enjoyment and glories? I would be 
wholly Thine. Forget the offences I have com- 
mitted against Thee, and receive me. Teach me 
to know from what things I ought to separate my- 
self, and what I must do to please Thee ; all this 



THE SIN OF A CHRISTIAN 



101 



I desire to do. Give me strength to follow Thy 
will, and to be faithful to Thee. O my beloved 
Eedeemer ! Thou wiliest that I should give myself 
to Thee without reserve, that I may unite myself 
wholly to Thy heart. Behold, this day I give my- 
self wholly to Thee, without reserve, everything 
that I am ; from Thee I hope for grace to be faith- 
ful even to death. 

0 mother of God, and my own mother Mary! 
obtain for me the grace of holy perseverance. 



PARTICULAR EXAMINATION 
(S^n Stncedt^ 'S:owarD tbe Ibol^ Spirit 

Do I realize: 

That I am dealing with my God? 

That He knows all the secrets of my heart? 

That He desires to aid me? 

That my salvation is at stake ? 

That God detests all insincerity ? 

That my interest req»uires my sincerity? 

That the Holy Spirit deserves my confidence ? 
Do I really wish to know myself? 
Do I really desire to progress in the spiritual 
life? 

Have I sincerely accepted the light of grace ? 

Am I impartial in my examination of myself, or 
do I permit pride and self-love to blind me ? 

Say an act of contrition for faults, and an act 
of thanksgiving for lights, and renew sincere dis- 
positions. 



102 THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



THIED MEDITATION 
XTeptbtti^ in a iReUgtous 

Point I 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Jerusalem is a picture of a soul dedicated to 
God that does not come up to the expectation of 
the Holy Ghost. 

1. Among all the cities of the world, Jerusalem 
was especially sought out and blessed by almighty 
God. Jerusalem was in reality the city of God, 
privileged and preferred as the center from which 
the blessing of God flowed to the twelve tribes of 
Israel. There stood the Temple, in which the 
most solemn and magnificent feasts were annually 
celebrated. Had God not, then, the right to ex- 
pect that Jerusalem would distinguish herself 
above all cities by her zeal in His service! But 
think of the Eeligious! Is the Eeligious not a 
privileged soul, a soul enjoying God's special love, 
a soul that God has singled out and preferred be- 
fore all others? What can, what must He, then, 
demand ? 

2. Consider, moreover, that Jerusalem became 
unfaithful to almighty God, that she gradually 
sank deeper and deeper into the abyss of indif- 
ference and godlessness. How did this happen? 
(a) The inhabitants forgot the many divine fa- 
vors lavished upon them and neglected to show 
their gratitude; (h) The daily sacrifices, the 
greatest solemnities of the year, made little im- 
pression on most of the inhabitants; (r) Having 
lost all taste and inclination for the supernatural, 
they devoted all their energies to the acquisition 



TEPIDITY IN A RELIGIOUS 103 



of riches, power, and worldly greatness; {d) 
They finally went so far in their godless conduct 
as to become hardened and impenitent in their 
ways. They turned a deaf ear to all admonitions, 
yes, killed the prophets, and persecuted all that 
spoke to them in the name of God. 

The same is often the case with a soul conse- 
crated to Grod. God requires of Religious that 
in humility they acknowledge the divine favors 
received and thank the God of goodness daily 
for the same. As soon as a Religious neglects 
this he despises his vocation and the countless 
graces that he daily receives. He has begun his 
downward course. The daily exercises of piety, 
the most sacred religious rites, become a matter 
of routine for him. He no longer derives any 
spiritual benefit from them. He begins to seek 
gratification in worldly distractions, in ease and 
comfort, in eating and drinking, in the praise and 
applause of the world. He gradually arrives at 
the last stage of his downward course. He be- 
comes hardened in his ways, despises all admoni- 
tions of friends, even of lawful superiors. 

Thou, my soul, hast received the peerless voca- 
tion to the religious life. From among innumer- 
able others, many perhaps better than thyself, 
God has singled thee out as the object of His 
special predilection. He has destined thee to be 
a channel of grace to countless souls. How hast 
thou treasured thy vocation? Hast thou daily 
thanked God for this mark of His special 
love? Hast thou continually sought to draw 
profit from the many and various religious 
exercises in which thou didst daily take part? 
Hast thou endeavored to perform them with 
a lively faith, from supernatural motives, or 
hast thou in course of time degenerated so 



104 THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



much as to look upon these exercises as a 
burden, and hast thou in consequence performed 
them through routine? Hast thou grown lax, un- 
mortified, indulgent, fond of dissipation and 
worldly applause? Hast thou praised God with 
thy lips, but kept thy heart far from Him? Oh, 
repent while it is yet time ! Hearken to the voice 
of conscience, to the admonitions of thy Superiors ! 
See the edifying conduct of those around thee. 
Eeceive the grace of God with gratitude. Ee- 
pent of thy tepidity. Eeturn to thy primitive 
fervor. God will not despise an humble and con- 
trite heart. 

AFFECTIONS AND PRAYERS 

0 God of infinite good, I, a most ungrateful 
sinner, east myself before Thee and crave Thy 
pardon. Treat me not as I deserve, according 
to Thy justice, but according to the greatness of 
Thy mercy. I have shown myself most ungrate- 
ful in the past. Thou hast placed me in Thy holy 
place and I have desecrated it. I repent of my 
irreverence, of my indifference in Thy service. 
If Thou wilt pardon me I will repair my negli- 
gence by my fervor in the future. I desire really 
to begin to love Thee, I desire to show my grati- 
tude by mortifying myself in all things, by living 
entirely in conformity with Thy holy will. I de- 
sire no other reward than to be permitted to love 
Thee, to serve Thee, to sacrifice myself entirely 
for Thee. I will henceforth do all that I can 
to please Thee. I will perform my religious ex- 
ercises with great promptitude and fervor. I 
wish to live only to glorify Thy holy name, to 
bring all to the knowledge of Thy goodness, to the 
service of so amiable a master, of so good a God. 
Give me the grace, I beseech Thee, to conform 



TEPIDITY IN A RELIGIOUS 



105 



myself entirely to Thy holy will. May Thy will 
be my will in prosperity as well as in adversity. 
May my life be a life of detachment from the 
world with its vain joys and pleasures. May my 
life be hidden away in Christ my Saviour, that I 
may say with St. Paul, live now, not I, but 
Christ liveth in me'^ (Gal. ii. 20). 

Point II 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider the punishment that overtook Jerusa- 
lem. By her continual opposition to the divine 
will Jerusalem sealed her own doom. ^^If thou 
also hadst known, ' ' said the Saviour to her in His 
sorrow, *^and that in this thy day the things that 
are to thy peace, but now they are hidden from 
thy eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, and 
thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and 
compass thee round, and straiten thee on every 
side, and beat thee flat to the ground, and thy 
children who are in thee, and they shall not leave 
in thee a stone upon a stone; because thou hast 
not known the time of thy visitation" (Luke xix. 
42-44). This prophecy was literally fulfilled. 
Never did the earth witness such a desolation. 
Thus, a soul that is habitually lax, tepid in fol- 
lowing her sacred calling, will gradually be en- 
compassed more and more by her evil passions, 
so that repentance becomes almost impossible. 
She loses all the merit of the past which she ac- 
cumulated during many years of hard labor. 
Finally, her name will be blotted out from the 
Book of Life, and the light of grace will be taken 
from her and given to another. 

Tremble, my soul, at the sight of such a ruin! 
Many other souls, at one time far more faithful 



106 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



than thyself, have fallen and perished by the way- 
side. Examine thyself and see what use thou 
hast made of the many special graces that the 
Holy Spirit has lavished upon thee. How often 
hast thou neglected His holy inspirations. Ex- 
amine thy evil inclinations carefully, lest they 
encompass thee with a wall of sin, transgressions, 
and negligence, and hedge thee in on every side 
so that a return to first fervor, a true repentance, 
will be humanly impossible. Thou knowest that 
nothing is so opposed to the workings of God's 
grace as worldliness, that spirit of ease and com- 
fort that seeks only a life of natural gratification. 
This spirit would ruin in thee that temple of the 
Holy Spirit and leave no stone upon a stone. 
This spirit would level thee to the ground, blot 
thee out of the Book of Life, out of the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus, out of the love of the Holy Spirit. 
Woe, eternal woe then betide thee ! 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 God, I thank Thee that Thou hast not blotted 
me out of the Book of Life as I have deserved. 
I am grateful for Thy patience with me. I will 
deplore my lukewarmness all the days of my life. 
I deserve not to be heard by Thee, but I still hope 
for pardon, for the grace of perfect repentance. 
In the future I hope to love Thee, to serve Thee 
with gratitude, to be mindful of Thy many graces. 
To lead a holy, recollected life shall be my aim. 
Help me to perform my devotions with greater 
recollection, with greater fervor, with greater love 
the oftener that I repeat them. May every act of 
my life be an act of gratitude that Thou hast 
spared me. May it be an act of love for the love 
that Thou hast shown me. May my entire life be 
one of humble submission to Thy holy will, be- 



TEPIDITY IN A RELIGIOUS 



107 



cause Thou hast deigned to lavish Thy special 
graces upon me. Help me to use the means of in- 
creasing in fervor, in piety, in love of Thee. May 
I live only to love Thee, to do Thy good pleasure. 

Resolution 

I will often recall the words of St. Bernard: 
^^It is easier to convert a man of the world than 
a Eeligious who has become entirely lax." This 
thought shall inspire me with fear, and urge me 
to use the means of growing in fervor. Have 
mercy on me, 0 Lord, according to the greatness 
of Thy mercy and remember not my former sins. 

Mary, refuge of sinners, pray for me that I 
may grow in fervor and the love of God. 



OPTIONAL REFLECTIONS 

©n Bceire anD IResolution 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

All holiness consists in loving God. The love 
of God is that infinite treasure by which we gain 
the friendship of God. God is ready to give this 
treasure of His holy love, but He wills that we 
earnestly desire it. He that faintly desires any 
good thing takes little trouble to gain it. On the 
other hand, St. Lawrence Justinian said that an 
earnest desire lightens all toil, and gives us 
strength. And thus, he who little desires to ad- 
vance in divine love, instead of becoming more 
ardent in the way of perfection, ever becomes 
more and more lukewarm, and thus is ever in im- 
minent peril of falling headlong down some 
precipice. And, on the other hand, whoever 
aspires with fervent desire after perfection, and 



108 THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



strengthens himself daily to advance in its path, 
little by little with time will attain it. St. Teresa 
said, *^God never gives many favors, except to 
those who earnestly desire His love.'' And again, 
*^God leaves no good desire without its reward." 
And therefore the saint advises every one not to 
suffer his desires to abate, because, trusting in 
God, and strengthening ourselves little by little, 
we shall reach that point which all the saints have 
attained. 

It is a deceit of the devil, according to the opin- 
ion of the same saint, which makes us think that 
it is a mark of pride to desire to become a saint. 
It would be pride and presumption, if we trusted 
to our works or intentions ; but if we hope for all 
from God, He will give us that strength which we 
have not. Let us, then, desire, with a very great 
desire, to attain to a lofty height of divine love ; 
and let us say with courage, ^'I can do all things 
through Him that strengtheneth me. ' ' And if we 
do not find that we possess this great desire, at 
least let us ask it urgently of Jesus Christ, that 
He may give it to us. 

We will now pass on to the second means, reso- 
lution. Good desires must be accompanied by a 
determined spirit to strengthen ourselves in the 
attainment of the desired blessing. Many desire 
perfection, but take no right means to gain it; 
they want to live in a desert, to accomplish great 
works of penance and prayer, to endure martyr- 
dom, but such desires are nothing better than mere 
fancies, which instead of benefiting them, do them 
great harm. These are the desires which slay 
the slothful man." Such a person, feeding him- 
self upon these fruitless desires, pays no attention 
to the cure of his defects, the mortification of his 
appetites, or patience in suffering contempt and 



TEPIDITY IN A RELIGIOUS 



109 



crosses. He would do great things, but such as are 
incompatible with his present condition, and there- 
fore his imperfections increase; in the time of 
adversity he is agitated; every infirmity makes 
him impatient, and thus he lives and dies. 

If, therefore, we truly desire to become saints, 
let us resolve: (1.) To avoid every venial sin, 
however slight; (2.) To detach ourselves from 
every earthly desire; (3.) Not to cease our ac- 
customed exercises of prayer and mortification, 
however great may be the weariness and dryness 
we feel in them; (4.) To meditate daily on the 
passion of Jesus Christ, which inflames with di- 
vine love every heart that meditates upon it; 
(5.) To resign ourselves in peace to the will of 
God in all things that trouble us, as Father Bal- 
thazer Alvarez said: ^'He who in trouble resigns 
himself to the divine will, runs posthaste to God;'' 
(6.) To beg continually of God the gift of His 
holy love. 

^^The devil,'' said St. Teresa, ^^has no dread of 
irresolute souls," On the contrary, he who re- 
solves to give himself truly to God will overcome 
even what seemed impossible. A resolved will 
conquers everything. Let us study to redeem the 
time that is lost. The time that remains, let us 
give it all to God. All time that is not devoted 
to God is lost. Do we not fear lest God should 
abandon us to our lukewarmness, which may lead 
us to utter ruinf Let us take courage, and live 
from this day forth upon the holy maxim, *^We 
must please God even to death." Souls thus 
resolute are assisted by the Lord in the way of 
perfection. 

He who would belong wholly to God must re- 
solve: (1.) Not to commit even the slightest 
venial sin; (2.) To give himself to God without 



110 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



reserve, and therefore to neglect nothing which 
may be pleasing to God, always with the approba- 
tion of his director; (3.) Out of all good things to 
choose that which is for him, under the circum- 
stances, most pleasing to God; (4.) Not to wait 
for the morrow, but to do whatever can be done, 
to-day; (5.) To pray daily to God for increase in 
His holy love. With love everything can be done ; 
without love, nothing. To gain everything, we 
must give everything. Jesus has given Himself 
wholly to us, that we may be wholly His. 

0 miserable being that I am! 0 Thou God of 
my soul! for so many years I have lived upon 
earth, and what progress have I made in Thy 
lovef My progress has been in my faults, in self- 
love, and in sins. And shall I live this life even 
unto death! No; Jesus my Saviour, help me. I 
would no longer be so ungrateful as I have been 
till now. I would truly love Thee, and would 
leave all to please Thee. Give me Thy hand, 
0 Jesus! Thou who has poured forth all Thy 
blood, that Thou mightest see me Thine. Such 
would I be, with Thy grace. Even till death, aid 
me, and strip me of everything which may hinder 
me from belonging wholly to Thee, who hast so 
much loved me. Grant it to me through Thy 
merits ; from Thee I hope for it. And I hope for 
it also from thee, 0 my mother Mary ! With thy 
prayers, which can obtain everything from God, 
obtain for me the grace of belonging wholly to 
Him. 



TEPIDITY IN A RELIGIOUS 



111 



OPTIONAL. READING 

^be iBxccllcncc of IDirafnU^ 

{From 8t, Alphonsus) 

Persons who consecrate their virginity to Jesus 
Christ become in the eyes of God as beautiful as 
the angels of heaven. * ' They shall be as the angels 
of God in heaven'' {Matt, xxii. 30). Baronius 
relates that upon the death of the holy virgin 
Georgia an immense multitude of doves was seen 
flying around her ; and when the body was carried 
to the church they ranged themselves along that 
part of the roof which was over the corpse, and 
did not leave until she was buried. Those doves 
were thought to be angels who accompanied that 
virginal body. 

Virgins, moreover, who have left the world and 
dedicated themselves to Jesus Christ are His 
spouses. In the gospel our Redeemer is called 
father, or master, or shepherd of our souls; but 
with regard to those virgins He calls Himself 
their spouse; they *^went out to meet the bride- 
groom'' (Ma^^. xxv. 1). 

When a young woman wishes to marry, she will 
examine, if she is prudent, which of her suitors is 
the most worthy. Let us, then, learn from the 
spouse in the sacred Canticles, who well knows, 
what manner of spouse is He to whom consecrated 
virgins aspire. Tell me, 0 sacred spouse, what 
manner of spouse is He who makes you so fortu- 
nate? ^^My beloved is white," she says, *^and 
ruddy, chosen out of thousands" {Cant. v. 10). 
He is all white by reason of His purity ; and ruddy 
by reason of the love with which He burns. He 
is, in fine, so noble and so kind as to be the most 
lovable of spouses. 



112 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



With reason, then, did the glorious St. Agnes, 
as we learn from St. Ambrose, when it was pro- 
posed to her to marry the son of the Prefect of 
Kome, reply that she had a much more advanta- 
geous engagement in view. When some ladies were 
endeavoring to persuade St. Domitilla to marry 
Count Aurelian, nephew of the Emperor, saying 
there was no obstacle, as he was willing that she 
should remain a Christian, the saint replied, ' ' Tell 
me, if a monarch and a clown both aspired to the 
hand of a maiden, which would she choose! Now, 
should I marry Aurelian, I would have to leave the 
King of heaven; it would be folly. I will not do 
so." And thus, in order to remain faithful to 
Jesus Christ, to whom she had already'' consecrated 
her virginity, she was willing to be burned alive, 
a death which her barbarous suitor caused her to 
suffer. 

Those spouses of Jesus Chz^ist who leave the 
world for His sake become His beloved; they are 
called the first-fruits to God and to the Lamb 
(ApocxiY, Why the first-fruits ? ''Because,'* 
says Cardinal Hugo, ' ' as the first-fruits are more 
grateful than any other to man, so virgins are 
dearer to God than any others." The divine 
spouse feeds amongst the lilies: ''Who feedeth 
among the lilies" {Cant, ii. 16). And what is 
meant by lilies, if not those devout souls who have 
consecrated their virginity to Jesus Christ? 
Venerable Bede writes that the song of the vir- 
gins — that is the glory which they give to God by 
preserving unsullied the lily of their purity — is 
far more pleasing to Him than the song of all the 
other saints. The Holy Ghost says that there is 
nothing comparable to virginity {Eccliis. xxvi. 
20). And for this reason some theologians say 
our blessed Mother would have consented to forego 



TEPIDITY IN A RELIGIOUS 



113 



the dignity of becoming the mother of God could 
it have been had only at the expense of her vir- 
ginity. Who on this earth can conceive the glory 
which God has prepared for His virgin spouses in 
paradise? Theologians say that virgins have in 
heaven their own aureola," or special crown of 
glory, which is not given to the other saints. 

Prayer 

O my Jesus, my God, and my Eedeemer! who 
hast died for me, compassionate me who call Thee 
spouse. I see that Thou hast called me to this 
honor, and I know not how to thank Thee for this 
grace. I should now perhaps have been in hell; 
but Thou, instead of chastising me, hast called me 
to be Thy spouse! Yes, my spouse, I have left 
the world, I have left all through love of Thee; 
I give myself entirely to Thee. "What world ? What 
world do I speak of? My Jesus, henceforward 
Thou art my only good, my only love. Thou de- 
sirest my entire heart ; gladly I resign it entirely 
to Thee. Eeceive me in Thy mercy, and do not 
reject me as I- have deserved. Forget all the 
offences that I have given Thee, of which I re- 
pent with my whole soul; would that I had died 
before offending Thee! Pardon me; inflame me 
with Thy holy love, and give me Thy aid, in order 
that I may be faithful to Thee, and never leave 
Thee. Thou, my spouse, hast given Thyself all 
to me. Behold! I give myself entirely to Thee. 
Mary, my queen and my mother, chain my heart 
to that of Jesus Christ, and unite them both, so 
that they may never again be separated. 



114 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



FOUETH MEDITATION 
Ibell 

Point I 

CON-SIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The damned in hell suffer a double punish- 
ment: the pain of sense and the pain of loss, or 
the pains of the body and the pains of the soul. 
Consider these pains, my soul, and be inspired 
with a great fear of hell. 

The pain of sense includes all that the human 
senses can suffer: 

1. Sight. — The wicked will be ^*cast into exte- 
rior darkness'^ {Matt. xxii. 13). They will be in a 
fearful prison into which a ray of light will never 
enter. They will be in ^*a land of misery and 
darkness, where the shadow of death, and no 
order, but everlasting horror dwelleth" {J oh x. 
22). *'They shall be gathered together as in the 
gathering of one bundle into the pit, and they shall 
be shut up there in prison'' {Is. xxiv. 22). They 
will see only the avenging fire, the infuriated 
demons, their companions in sin, and the hideous 
members of their own bodies. 

2. Hearing. — The damned will hear the infernal 
bowlings of the demons, their hellish yelling and 
their taunting sarcasm, the curses, maledictions, 
execrations of the countless reprobate, **the 
weeping and gnashing of teeth" {Matt, viii. 12). 

3. Smell. — The damned will be tormented with 
the offensive odor of sulphur and brimstone, with 
the pestilential exhalations of the damned bodies, 
and the stench of their putrid bodies, as they are 
piled one upon another, '^gatliered into bundles." 



HELL 



115 



^ ^ Their slain shall be cast forth ; and out of their 
carcasses shall rise a stench^' (75. xxxiv. 3). 

4. Taste, — The damned shall suffer a fearful 
hunger. Woe to you that are filled, for you shall 
hunger," says Our Lord in the Sermon on the 
Mount {LuUe vi. 25). Their thirst will be tor- 
mented. * ^ Their wine is the gall of dragons, and 
the venom of asps" {Beut, xxxii. 33). Behold, 
I will feed them with wormwood, and will give 
them gall to drink" {Jer. xxiii. 15). Listen to 
the prayer of Dives: Father Abraham, have 
mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip 
the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue, 
for I am tormented in this flame" (Luke xvi. 24). 

5, Touch. — The sense of touch will have its 
punishment. *^He will give fire and worms into 
their flesh, that they may burn and may feel for- 
ever ' ' {Judith xvi. 21 ) . * * Every one will be salted 
with fire" (Mark iv. 48). There will be fire in the 
flesh, in the bones, fire in the veins, fire in the 
mouth, fire in the eyes, fire in the entire body. 
Fire will burn and punish every sin that the body 
helped commit. 

0 my soul, let me ask thee in the words of the 
prophet Isaias, Canst thou dwell with devour- 
ing fire?" {Is. xxxiii. 14.) Think of the most 
hideous sight that thou hast ever seen ; what is it 
compared to the shadow of death? Think of the 
most blood-curdling sound thou didst ever hear; 
how does it compare to the weeping and gnash- 
ing" of the damned in hell! Think of the vilest 
smell that earth can produce ; it is sweet perfume 
to the damned in hell. Thou now complainest of 
hunger and thirst ; consider that the most famish- 
ing hunger and the most parched thirst of earth 
would be the greatest relief in hell. The rich 
man asked but for one drop of water. Thou now 



116 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



complainest of the weather, of the heat and the 
cold. The damned are salted with fire. Earthly 
fire is but a faint image of the fire of hell. It was 
given us as a blessing, whereas this was kindled 
by the anger of an outraged God. How hast thou 
mortified thy faculties, my soulf Hast thou per- 
haps exposed thyself to those sins for which the 
damned in hell are now suffering ? Hast thou al- 
ways been chaste and modest in thy looks or hast 
thou permitted thy eyes to wander to forbidden 
objects 1 Hast thou lived to eat and drink instead 
of eating to live in God's service? If thou dost 
not mortify thy taste now, God may mortify it for 
thee through all eternity. Hast thou been vain in 
dress, pampering the body, rendering it effemi- 
nate and sensual? Mortify thy flesh now, lest 
God salt it with the fire of hell. 

AFFECTIONS AND PKAYEES 

0 God, I owe it to thy goodness that I am not 
already in hell. I have been so negligent, so self- 
indulgent, so curious, so vain, so idle, in spite of 
all Thy graces and heavenly helps. Thanks to 
Thy grace, I have still an opportunity to escape 
hell. I thank Thee for this great grace, 0 holy 
Spirit ! I repent sincerely of all my sins. I wish 
to live only for Thee in the future. I wish to love 
Thee, to serve Thee; even though there were no 
hell, I would consecrate myself entirely to Thee. 
My eyes shall open only to see Thy beauty. My 
tongue shall move only to praise Thy name. My 
entire body shall henceforth be devoted only to 
Thy grateful service. Increase my love; perfect 
my desire. Direct me to devote my faculties, to 
use my senses, only to glorify Thy holy name. 



HELL 



117 



Point II 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The pain of loss, or tlie pain of the sonl, is the 
punishment inflicted for the loss of sanctifying 
grace and all consequent blessings. The repro- 
bate suffer entire separation from God, without 
any consolation from the Holy Ghost, cursed by 
Him who alone can satisfy the human heart. 
They are abandoned in a fourfold spiritual pain : 

1. They are without the consolation of a good 
conscience. They know their guilt. Conscience 
has become ^^the worm that dieth not." 

2. They look about them in vain for a shadow 
of love or sympathy. They are utterly aban- 
doned and alone, without a friend. They are 
without a companion, though crowded in countless 
myriads one upon another. They are strangers 
to that sweet consciousness arising from compas- 
sion and sympathy. They are damned among the 
damned, alone and without pity. 

3. They suffer with the consciousness that their 
torments will not benefit them in any way. Their 
sufferings do not decrease by duration, do not 
satisfy, do not repair for their sins. Their suf- 
ferings are unfruitful, interminable, and do not 
even blunt their susceptibilities or decrease their 
repugnance to them. What ground for despair 
is there not in this thought? 

4. Finally, they suffer without the sweet pres- 
ence of the divine consoler. Upon earth the Holy 
Spirit changes tears of sorrow into tears of joy 
by His presence. He renders the heaviest cross 
light. But the damned have lost God forever. 
They have driven Him out of their heart, trampled 
upon His graces, refused to reproduce the image 
of Christ in their souls by the practice of vir- 



118 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



tiie. Now He has cursed them, abandoned them 
forever. Their thirst for God, for happiness, for 
beatitude, is insatiable and will never be quenched. 

0 my soul, how often hast thou received the 
sweet consolation of the Holy Spirit ! How often 
has the voice of conscience, how often has the 
thought that others love thee, been a consolation 
to thee! *^For the Spirit Himself giveth testi- 
mony to our spirit, that we are the sons of God'^ 
{Bom. viii. 16). How often hast thou not drawn 
supernatural consolation from unsought crosses 
and affliction. How often, especially, hast thou 
been consoled by the mysterious presence of the 
Holy Spirit. Because the charity of God is 
poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, who 
is given to us" {Rom. v. 5). But the damned in 
hell have no consolation in their suffering. Not 
from the voice of conscience, for that is their first 
accuser. Not from their companions, for there 
is no bond of union, no harmony, no sympathy, 
existing among them. Not from their suffering, 
for it brings no relief, no solace, no comfort. 
They know that they must suffer, suffer forever, 
and ever, and ever. Neither do they receive any 
consolation from the Holy Spirit whom they have 
driven from their hearts. This is their greatest 
pain, that they shall never see God, the only good 
of all real goodness, the only beauty of all beauty. 
Though their heart is created for the enjo}TU.ent 
of the good and the beautiful, though their intel- 
lect is created for the possession of the eternal 
truth, they will never find Him. ^^You shall seek 
Me,'' says the Holy Spirit, ''and not find Me.'' 

AFFECTIONS AND PKAYEES 

0 God of my soul, I thank Thee for the knowl- 
edge of this great truth. I thank Tliee for having 



HELL 



119 



kept me out of iiell until now. Help me up the 
narrow and rugged path, I beseech Tliee. I 
would willingly rather suffer all the pains, all the 
sufferings of this life, than lose Thee, who art the 
only true good. I now have some perception of 
the pains which Thy justice inflicts on all who 
persist in abusing Thy love and goodness upon 
earth. 0 God, I do not wish to go to hell. I will 
love Thee, I desire to love Thee always, to love 
Thee alone. I desire rather to die than to cease 
to love Thee. I repent of all that ever displeased 
Thee during my life. Would that I could induce 
all to love Thee as the blessed Virgin Mary loved 
Thee. Then all men would glorify Thy goodness. 

Resolution 

I resolve to act on the suggestion of St. Bernard 
and go down in spirit to hell during life that I 
may not go there after death. And I now say 
with St. Augustine, ''Lord, here cut, here burn, 
here never spare me, that Thou mayest spare me 
in eternity. From eternal death, 0 Lord, deliver 
me!'' 

0 Mary, my hope, thou hast power to save me. 

OPTIONAL REFLECTION 

Contempt of tbe MorlD 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

The thought of the vanity of the world, and 
that all things that the world values are but vain 
and deceitful, has made many souls resolve to give 
themselves wholly to God. ''What doth it profit 
a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the 
loss of his own soul!" How many has this great 



120 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



maxim of the Gospel brought to leave relatives, 
conntryj possessions, honors, even kingdoms, to 
shut themselves up in a cloister, or go into the 
desert, there to think of God alone! The day of 
death is called the day of loss. ''The day of loss 
is at hand." It is a day of loss, because all the 
goods gained on earth must then be left. Where- 
fore St. Ambrose wisely says that we falsely call 
these good things our good things, because we 
can not carry them with us into the other world, 
where we must dwell forever. It is our holy deeds 
that accompany us and they alone will comfort us 
in eternity. 

All earthly fortunes, the highest dignities, gold, 
silver, the most precious jewels, when contem- 
plated from the bed of death, lose their splendor ; 
the dark shadow of death obscures even scepters 
and crowns, and makes us see that whatever the 
world values is but smoke, dust, vanity, and 
misery. And, in truth, at the time of death, what 
profit is there in all the riches acquired by the 
dying person, if nothing belongs to him after 
death, save a coffin, in which he is placed but to 
corrupt? Or what will vaunted beauty of body 
serve, when there remains of it only a little dust 
and a few fleshless limbs I 

What is the life of man upon earth? Behold it, 
as described by St. James; "What is your life? 
It is a smoke which appeareth for a little while, 
and then will pass away." To-day a man called 
great is esteemed, feared, and praised; tomor- 
row he is despised, contemned, and abused. "I 
saw the wicked lifted up on high; I went by, and 
behold he was gone." He is no longer found in 
this, his beloved house, in this great palace which 
he built. And where is he? He is but dust in the 
grave ! 



HELL 



121 



false balance in his hand." In these words 
the Holy Spirit advises us not to be deceived by 
the world, because the world weighs its goods in 
a false balance. We ought to weigh them in the 
true balance of faith, which will show us what are 
the true goods of which it can never be said that 
they speedily vanish. St. Teresa said we should 
not take account of anything that ends with death. 
0 God ! what greatness remains to statesmen, com- 
manders of armies, princes, and emperors, now 
that the scene is changed, and they find themselves 
in eternity! Their memory has perished with 
a sound." They made a great figure in the world, 
and their names resounded among all; but when 
they were dead, rank, name, and everything was 
changed. It is useful here to notice an inscription 
placed over a certain cemetery in which many dis- 
tinguished men and women are buried: ''See 
where end all greatness, all earthly pomp, all 
beauty." Worms, dust, a worthless stone, a little 
sand, close the brief scene at the end of all. 

''The fashion of this world passeth away." 
Our life is but a scene that passes away and 
speedily ends; and it must end for all, whether 
nobles or commoners, kings or subjects, rich or 
poor. Happy he who, in this scene, has played 
his part well before God. King Philip III of 
Spain died in the prime of manhood, at the age of 
forty-three; and before he died he said to those 
who stood hj: "When I am dead, proclaim the 
spectacle that you now see; proclaim that, in 
death, to have been a king, serves only to make 
one feel the pain of having reigned." And then 
he ended with a sigh, saying, ' ' Oh, that during this 
time I had been in a desert, becoming a saint, that 
now I might appear with more confidence before 
the tribunal of Jesus Christ!" 



122 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



We know the change of life of St. Francis 
Borgia at the sight of the corpse of the Empress 
Isabella, who in life was most beautiful, but, after 
death was so changed as to strike horror into all 
who saw her. Borgia, when he beheld her so, ex- 
claimed, ''Thus, then, end the good things of this 
world ! ' ' and he gave himself wholly to God. Oh, 
that we could all imitate him before death comes 
upon us! But let us haste, because death runs 
toward us, and we know not when it will arrive. 
Let us not so act that the light that God will give 
us then will cause nothing but remorse when we 
hold in our hands the candle of death. Let us re- 
solve to do now what we shall then wish to have 
done, and shall not be able to do. 

My God, it is enough that Thou hast hitherto 
borne with me ; I do not wish that Thou shouldst 
wait longer for me to give myself wholly to Thee. 
Thou hast called me many times to have done with 
this world, and to give myself all to Thy love. 
Now Thou turnest to me in order to have me call 
unto Thee ; behold me, receive me into Thy arms, 
while at this moment I abandon myself wholly to 
Thee. 0 spotless Lamb, who at Calvary was sac- 
rificed on a cross for me, wash me first with Thy 
blood, and pardon all the injuries that Thou hast 
received from me ; and then inflame me with Thy 
holy love. I love Thee above everything; I love 
Thee with all m}^ heart. And what object can I 
find in the world more worthy of love than Thou 
art, and which has loved me more? 

0 Mary, mother of God, and m}^ advocate ! pray 
for me; obtain for me a true and lasting change 
of life. In thee I trust. 



HELL 



123 



EXAMINATION 
On Sinful Uctiom 

Have I had the unutterable misfortune to com- 
mit a mortal sin since my last retreat? Have I 
done penance for it? Have I habitually com- 
mitted venial sins? with knowledge and delibera- 
tion? Have I made peace with my faults? made 
no serious effort to amend? or were they faults of 
human frailty? resulting from a want of recollec- 
tion? from inadvertence? from a want of humility 
and mortification? were they public faults? 
Against the commandments, my holy vows, or my 
Rule? Did I give scandal? Have my faults 
grown into bad habits? of pride? selfishness? un- 
charitableness? immodesty? Have I allowed my 
tongue to offend or injure? Have I been dis- 
obedient? What is the cause of my daily faults? 
Have I really become lax? Should I say that 
some one else were lax that has been as negligent 
as I have been? 

Has the work and suffering of the past year dis- 
heartened me? Have I forgotten that ^^the king- 
dom of heaven suff ereth violence ' ' ? Am I willing 
now to begin in real earnest ? Am I heartily sorry 
for all my sins? Am I resolved to work in real 
earnest for the honor and glory of God? to follow 
my Saviour with my daily cross? out of love for 
Him who has suffered so much for me? to do pen- 
ance for all my sins, which caused Him so much 
suffering? 

Have I truly repented of my sins? confessed 
them as I ought? Have I made reparation for my 
disobedience and uncharitableness? ought I not to 
do so now? Does my sorrow spring from the love 
of God? Am I sorry for my sins only because I 
do not wish to go to hell and to lose heaven? 



124 



THE DAY OF EXAMINATION 



Does God not deserve that I be truly converted 
to Him? Shall I refuse to give Him my heart? 
Shall I show Him my love and gratitude by making 
this retreat well? "Will this really be the founda- 
tion of a holy and hidden life? 



Protestation for a Happy Death. (See p. 77.) 

HYMN 

f nvocatfon to tbe mcesc^ IDIc^in ^Rarg 

(From St, Alphonsus) 

Haste, my Mother, run to help me; 

Mother, haste, do not delay. 
See from hell the envious serpent 

Comes my troubled soul to slay. 

Oh ! his very look affrights me, 

And his cruel rage I fear. 
Whither fly if he attacks me ? 

See him, see him coming near! 

Lo ! I faint away with terror, 

For if yet thou dost delaj^. 
He will dart at me his venom ; 

Then, alas, I am his prey. 

Cries and teai^ have nought availed me, 

Spite of all, I see him there ; 
Saints I call till I am weary, 

Still he stands with threat'ning air, 

Now his mighty jaws are open, 

And his forked tong-ue I see; 
Oh ! he coils to spring upon me— 

Mother! hasten, make him flee. 



HELL 



Maiy! yes, the name of Maiy 
Strikes with dread my cruel foe, 

Straight he flees, as from the sunbeam 
Swiftly melts the winter's snow. 

Now he's gone, but do thou ever 
Stay beside me, Mother dear; 

Then the hellish fiend to tempt me 
Nevermore will venture near. 



THE THIRD DAY 



c;be 2)a? of Iknowle&ge 

Dedicated to the Spirit of Knoivledge 
Disposition. — Docility. 

Motto. — ''What I am in the sight of God, that 
I am and nothing more. ' ' — St. Feancis of Assisi. 

The Special End of this day's exercises is to dis- 
cover how far the eternal truths have influenced 
the soul to strive after the Christian Ideal in 
daily life, and how the soul appears in the sight of 
God. 

Reading. — The special obligations of a member 
of your Order, from your Rules. 

PEAYER TO OBTAIN THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE 

Holy Spirit, divine consoler, I adore Thee as 
my true God, just as I adore God the Father and 
God the Son. I bless Thee by uniting myself to 
the hymns of praise that Thou dost receive from 
the angels and the seraphs. I offer Thee my 
whole heart, and I render Thee heartfelt thanks 
for all the benefits that Thou hast bestowed and 
dost unceasingly bestow upon the world. Thou 
who art the author of all supernatural gifts, who 
didst enrich with immense favors the soul of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God, I beseech 
Thee to visit me by Thy grace and Thy love, and 
to grant me the gift of knowledge in order that I 
may be able to know well the things of God, and 
that, enlightened by Thy instructions, I may 

120* 



THE THOUGHT OF DEATH 



127 



steadily walk in the way of my eternal salva- 
tion. 

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory he 
to the Father three times. 

THOUGHTS AND EJACULATIONS 

Here am I, O Lord ; do with me what Thou wilt. 
Let me die rather than again offend Thee. 
Grant that I may overcome all things to please 
Thee. 

I desire to die for Thee who didst die for me. 
My Jesus, make me all Thine before I die ! 
0 Mary, draw me entirely to God. 



FIRST MEDITATION 
XTbe UbouGbt of Deatb 

Point I 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The thought of death urges us strongly to do 
two things: to avoid sin and to practise virtue. 
The thought of death is the best protection against 
two sins that are the source of many others : they 
are pride and sensuality. Earnest consideration 
of death will dry up these sources. 

a. Pride consists in overestimating oneself. 
Pride manifests itself by hiding our faults from 
us and making us rebellious against almighty God. 
Pride makes us despise our neighbor and leads us 
to many sins against charity. And yet St. James 
asks, ^^What is your life? It is a vapor which 
appeareth for a little while and afterward shall 
vanish away" (iv. 15). And the Wise Man says; 



128 



THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



* ' What hath pride profited us ? or what advantage 
hath the boasting of riches brought us ? All those 
things are passed away like a shadow and like a 
post that runneth on" {Wis, v. 8-9). 

h. Another fruitful source of sin is sensuality, 
or the desire to satisfy the body in its low desires, 
to satisfy those gratifications after which it con- 
tinually hankers. Whoever gives way to these in- 
clinations worships his body and sacrifices every- 
thing to it. He pampers it, gratifies it by laziness 
and comfort, by over-indulgence in sleep, inordi- 
nate care, by gluttony, intemperance, inordinate 
and particular friendships, and finally by immod- 
esty and immorality. 

The best remedy for both these sins is the 
thought of death. Yes, death alone can tell us what 
we are. Death alone can tell us what we shall be 
a few years hence. Now you are in excellent 
health, now perhaps you are gifted, learned in the 
arts and sciences, yet you rebel against almighty 
God and despise your neighbor. The thought of 
death tells man that he is but dust and ashes, that 
he shall shortly wither away as grass and as the 
green herbs shall quickly fall" (Ps. xxxvi. 2); 
that ^'the wages of sin is death," that ^'God hath 
abolished the memory of the proud and hath pre- 
served the memory of them that are humble in 
mind" {Ecclus. x. 21). ^^For what things a man 
shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that 
soweth in the flesh, of the flesh also shall reap 
corruption. But he that soweth in the spirit, of 
the spirit shall reap life everlasting" (Gal. vi. 8). 

Remember," my soul, ^Hhy last end and thou 
shalt never sin." Pride is the root of all sin. 
Sensuality is intimately associated with it. Death 
tells thee that thou hast nothing of thyself in which 
to glory. All thou hast that is not a gift of God is 



THE THOUGHT OF DEATH 129 



thy sin. And snrely of this thou ought not to 
boast. Do, then, not overestimate thy own gifts, 
nor glory in them as if thou hadst not received 
them from God. 

The thought of death, that it will bring thy 
body to corruption, ought to inspire thee to serve 
God alone, to use thy body for His glory, but never 
to indulge it inordinately. Care for it in order 
that thou mayest use it in the service of God and 
work for the good of thy neighbor, but never 
pamper it for its own sake. Thy body will soon 
collapse and become an object of horror and dis- 
gust. ' ^ Under thee shall the moth be strewed and 
worms shall be thy covering" {Is. xiv. 11). 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 God, I thank Thee for the thought of death. 
May it ever be before my eyes to make me know 
myself as I am in Thy sight, for ' ' I really am only 
what I am in Thy sight and nothing more" (St. 
Francis of Assisi) . Drive pride far from my mind 
and heart. I desire to acknowledge my entire de- 
pendence upon Thee. I desire to know Thee, to 
love Thee, to serve Thee. I desire to love my 
neighbor as myself for love of Thee. This I can 
not do when blinded by pride. Make me often 
think of the lesson which death teaches me in re- 
gard to my body. Impress deeply upon my mind 
that I must die, though I know not when, nor 
where, nor how. I desire to lead a mortified life 
upon earth that I may be worthy of enjoying Thee 
forever in heaven. Help me to restrain my eyes. 
Seal Thou my lips. Give me the strength to rule 
my body and never become the slave of its inclina- 
tions. I repent of my pride in the past. I detest 
my want of mortification. The future shall be 
for me with Thy grace a life of humble service in 



130 THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



Thy holy cause, a life of constant penance to keep 
me entirely in subjection to Thee. 

Point II 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The frequent thought of death, of the close of 
earthly existence, is beneficial in another way to 
man. By it the Holy Ghost continually spurs 
men on in the performance of good works and to 
the frequent and conscientious use of the meam 
of grace. With the last pulsation of his heart 
ends for man the time in which the fruits of the 
Redemption are applied to him in the form of 
grace. With death ends the time of grace, the 
time of merit. During life the Holy Spirit places 
most wonderful graces at our disposal. By using 
them conscientiously and with great fervor it is 
entirely in our power to make them bear fruit for 
eternity. We can daily gather treasures that will 
have an eternal reward. But the time will pass 
during which the Holy Spirit will permit us to 
draw at pleasure from the channels of divine 
grace. The night will come in which no man can 
work. Death will close our opportunities and 
seal our lot forever. It would therefore seem that 
the proper, the only reasonable thing for Eeligious 
to do would, be to work with untiring zeal, with 
great fidelity in using the means of grace which 
Holy Church places at their disposal. The thought 
of death will enable them to assist at the holy sac- 
rifice of the Mass with all reverence and devo- 
tion, to receive the sacrament of Penance fre- 
quently with a contrite and humble heart, to 
receive their sacramental Lord with a heart burn- 
ing with charity. ^ It will enable them always to 
have eternity in view. 



THE THOUGHT OF DEATH 



131 



My soul, has the thought of death inspired thee 
thus! Hast thou sought always to co-operate 
with the grace the Holy Spirit lavished upon thee 1 
Hast thou sought to earn new graces, to increase 
continually in merit and the love of God! Or 
hast thou been cold and indifferent? Hast thou 
received the great means of grace through routine, 
rather than through an earnest desire for heavenly 
things ! Hast thou become negligent in thy prepa- 
ration, careless in the use of the means of grace! 
Time is passing quickly, and beware, my soul, lest 
thou arrive unexpectedly at that place where it is 
written: ^'The night cometh when no man can 
work'' {John ix. 4). How bitter will thy de- 
parture then be! How painful the thought, the 
remembrance of thy bad, negligent use of the 
means of grace. Hasten the time, and remem- 
ber the end, that they may declare Thy wonderful 
works" {Ecclus. xxxvi. 10). ^^0 that they would 
be wise and understand, and would provide for 
their last end" {Deut. xxxii. 29). 

AFFECTIONS AND PRAYERS 

I repent, 0 God, of all my past negligence, of 
all my indifference. Would that I had always the 
salutary thought of death before me. Would that 
I had always judged of things as I shall judge 
them in the hour of death. I thank Thee, 0 God, 
that the time of sowing, the time of grace, the time 
of merit, has not yet drawn to an end. I desire 
to live henceforth only for Thee, only for Thy 
service. I will live entirely in conformity with 
Thy holy will. I will co-operate diligently with 
Thy holy grace. I will prepare with great fervor 
for the reception of the holy sacraments. I will 
be as patient in suffering and affliction as T would 
desire to be and to have been at the hour of death. 



132 



THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



Give me Thy help, for without Thee I can do 
nothing. I desire to become a living copy of 
Christ, my Saviour. I desire that He shall live 
anew in me. What time of life yet remains to 
me I will spend in works of penance, in fervent 
prayer, in works of charity. 

Resolution 

I will ask myself frequently in course of the 
day: *^How wouldst thou do this at the hour of 
death? Will the thought of this action then be 
a consolation or a pain to Theef Wilt thou at 
the hour of death lay as much stress on this aif air 
as now!" Especially at night will I examine my 
works in this true mirror of the soul. 0 Lord, 
^^Let my soul die the death of the just and my 
last end be like to them'' {Num. xxiii. 10). 

Mary, my mother, help me to die a good death. 



OPTIONAL REFLECTION 

tTbe Science of tbe Saints 

(From St, Alplionsiis) 

There are two kinds of sciences upon earth, one 
heavenly, the other worldly. The heavenly is that 
which leads us to please God, and makes us great 
in heaven. The worldly is that which moves us 
to please ourselves, and to become great in the 
world. But this worldly science is folly in the 
sight of God. ^ ' The wisdom of the world is fool- 
ishness with God." It is folly, for it makes fools 
of those who cultivate it ; it makes them fools, and 
like brutes, for it teaches them to gratify their 
carnal appetites like beasts. St. John Chrysostom 
wrote, *^We call him a man who preserves com- 



THE THOUGHT OF DEATH 133 



plete the image of a man ; and wliat is the image 
of a man? to be rational. Hence it is, that if a 
brute were ever to act according to reason, we 
should say that such a brute acted like a man; so 
we say that a man who acts upon sensual appetites 
and contrary to reason acts like a brute. 

But to return to the human and natural knowl- 
edge of earthly things, what do men know of all 
things which they have studied! What are we 
but so many blind moles, who, besides the truths 
which we know by faith, know only by means of 
our senses, or by conjecture; so that everything 
is uncertain and fallible. What writers on such 
subjects, however applauded they may be, have 
escaped the criticism of others! But the evil is 
that '^the knowledge of the world puffs us up," 
and makes us proud and prone to despise others — 
a pernicious fault, for, as St. James says: **God 
resisteth the proud and gives grace to the hum- 
ble." 

^^Oh, that they would be wise and understand, 
and know the latter end." Oh, if men would act 
by reason and the divine law, and then would learn 
to provide, not so much for a temporal existence, 
which speedily ends, as for eternity, they would 
assuredly not occupy themselves in the attain- 
ment of any knowledge, except such as aids them 
in obtaining eternal happiness and avoiding 
eternal pains. 

St. John Chrysostom advises us to walk among 
the tombs of the dead, in order to learn the knowl- 
edge of salvation. Oh, what a school of truth are 
the sepulchers for learning the vanity of the 
world! Let us go to the tombs. There," said 
the saint, ^' there I see nothing but corruption, 
bones, and worms." From all these skeletons 
which I see, I can not tell which belonged to the 



134 



THE DAY OF KNOAVLEDGE 



ignorant and which to the learned. I only see that 
with death all the glories of the world ended for 
them. What remained to a Cicero, a Demosthenes, 
an Ulpian? ^^They have slept their sleep and 
have found nothing in their hands." Blessed is 
he who has received from God the science of the 
saints. The science of the saints is to know the 
love of God. How many in the world are well 
versed in literature, learning, and science, but 
what will all this profit them if they know not the 
love of God 1 ' ' Blessed is he, ' ' said St. Augustine, 
'^who knows God, even if he knows nothing else." 
He that knows God and loves Him, though he be 
ignorant of what others know, is more learned 
than the learned who know not how to love God. 

^^Let the unlearned arise, and seize upon 
heaven!" cried the same St. Augustine. How 
learned were St. Francis of Assisi, St. Pascal, St. 
John of God! Ignorant in worldly knowledge, 
but well skilled in that which is divine. ^'Thou 
hast hidden these things from the wise and pru- 
dent, and hast revealed them to babes." By the 
wise we are here to understand the worldly-wise, 
who labor for the possessions and glories of the 
world, and think little of eternal joys. And by 
babes we are to understand simple souls, who 
know little of worldly wisdom, but devote all their 
care to pleasing God. 

Let us not, then, envy those who know many 
things; let us only envy those who know how to 
love Jesus Christ ; and let us imitate St. Paul, who 
said that he desired to know nothing but Jesus 
Christ, and Him crucified. Happy are we if we 
attain to the knowledge of the love which Jesus 
crucified had for us, and from this book of love 
attain to the love of Him. 0 Thou, who art my 
true and perfect lover, where shall I find one who 



THE THOUGHT OF DEATH 135 



lias so loved me as Thou hast! During my life 
that is past, I have lost my time in attaining the 
knowledge of many things which have profited 
my soul nothing, and I have thought nothing of 
knowing how to love Thee. I see that my life has 
been lost. I perceive that Thou callest me to Thy 
holy love ; behold, I leave all ; from this day forth, 
my one thought shall be to please Thee, my highest 
good. I give myself wholly to Thee; accept me; 
give me help to be faithful to Thee ; I desire to be 
no longer my own, but all, all Thine. 

0 Mother of God ! do thou also help me with thy 
prayers. 

OPTIONAL READING 

®n 2)etacbment from SelfsBsteem 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

A true Religious must be altogether detached 
from all self-esteem. Many leave their country, 
home, and friends, but carry with them a certain 
esteem of themselves ; but this is the most hurtful 
attachment of all. The greatest sacrifice we can 
make to God is to give Him not only goods, 
pleasures, and home, but ourselves also, by leaving 
ourselves. This is that denying of self which 
Jesus Christ recommended above all to His fol- 
lowers. And for this self-denial, it is necessary 
that every one should first trample under foot all 
self-esteem, by desiring, or at least embracing, 
every imaginable contempt which he may meet 
with in religion; as, for example, to see others, 
whom perhaps he thinks less deserving, preferred 
to himself, or to be considered unfit to be em- 
ployed, or only employed in lower and more labori- 
ous occupations. He should know that in the 



136 THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



house of God those charges are the highest and 
the most honorable which are imposed by obedi- 
ence. God forbid that any one should seek for 
or aspire to any office or charge of pre-eminence ! 
This would be a strange thing in religion, and he 
would be noted as proud and ambitious, and as 
such deserve to be put to penance, and especially 
mortified in this point. Better would it be, that a 
Eeligious Order should be destroyed, than that 
there should enter into it that accursed pest of 
ambition, which, when it enters, disfigures the 
most exemplary Communities and the most beauti- 
ful works of God. 

A true Eeligious should even feel consoled in 
spirit when he sees himself looked down on by his 
companions. I say consoled in spirit; nor need 
a subject be uneasy when he feels resentment in his 
lower nature ; it is enough that the spirit embraces 
it, and that he rejoices at it in the superior part 
of his soul. 

Thus also seeing himself continually repri- 
manded and mortified by all, not only by superiors, 
but also by equals and inferiors, he should heartily 
and with tranquil mind thank those who thus rep- 
rimand him and have the charity to admonish him, 
answering that he will be more attentive not to fall 
into that fault again. One of the greatest desires 
of the saints in this world was to be contemned for 
the love of Jesus Christ. This it is that St. John 
of the Cross asked for, when Jesus Christ ap- 
peared to him with a cross on His shoulder and 
said, ''John, ask from me what thou wilt,'' and St. 
John answered, ''Lord, to suffer and be despised 
for Thee." 

Theologians teach, with St. Francis de Sales, 
that the highest degree of humility we can have is 
to be pleased with abjections and humiliations. 



THE THOUGHT OF DEATH 137 



And in this consists also one of the greatest merits 
that we can have with God. Some contempt or af- 
front suffered in peace for the love of God is of 
greater value in His sight than many disciplines 
and fasts. 

It is necessary to know that to suffer contempt 
either from superiors or from companions is a 
thing unavoidable even in the most holy Com- 
munities. Eead the lives of the saints, and you 
will see how many mortifications were encountered 
by St. Francis Regis, St. Francis of Jerome, Fa- 
ther Torres, and others. The Lord sometimes 
permits that even between saints there should ex- 
ist, though without their faults, certain natural 
antipathies, or at least a certain diversity of char- 
acter between subjects of the greatest piety, which 
will cause them to suffer many contradictions. 
At other times false reports will be spread and 
believed; God Himself will permit this, in order 
that the subjects may have occasion to exercise 
themselves in patience and humility. 

In a word, he will gain little in religion and 
lose much who can not quietly put up with con- 
tempt and contradiction; and, therefore, he who 
enters religion to give himself entirely to God 
should be ashamed not to know how to bear con- 
tempt when he appears before Jesus Christ, who 
was filled with opprobrium for love of us. Let 
every one be attentive to this, and resolve to be 
pleased in religion with all objections, and to pre- 
pare himself to suffer many of them, for without 
the least doubt he will have many to bear. Other- 
wise, the disquiet caused by contradictions and 
contempt, badly endured, might trouble him so 
much as to make him lose his vocation and drive 
him out of religion. Oh, how many have lost 
their vocation on account of such impatience in 



138 



THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



humiliations! But of what service to the Order 
or to God can he be who does not know how to 
bear contempt for His sake! And how can any 
one ever be said to be dead according to that 
promise which he made to Jesns Christ, on en- 
tering religion, to die to himself, if he remain 
alive to resentment and disquiet when he sees him- 
self humbled? Out of the Order with such sub- 
jects, so attached to their own esteem — out with 
them! It is well for them to go as soon as 
possible, that they may not also infect the rest 
with their pride. In religion every one should 
be dead, and especially to his own self-esteem; 
otherwise it is better for them not to enter, or to 
depart if they have already entered. 



SECOND MEDITATION 
IReU^ious at tbe particular 5ut)ament 

Point I 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Being vividly before thy mind that thou art 
on thy deathbed and that thou seest thyself 
battling with death. See thy pale, sunken cheeks, 
thy fading eyes, that have lost all their luster, thy 
colorless lips, thy half open mouth; observe the 
deep, rattling noise of thy breath! See the cold 
sweat gathering on thy brow and slowly trickling 
down thy cheek! See thy cold, clammy hands 
from which all warmth, all strength, all life have 
departed! See thy breast heave and sink, to re- 
tard thy parting life with a few breaths! After 
a few minutes thou wilt have breathed thy last. 



AT THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT 139 

Thy name will be entered on the death register 
and thy body lowered into a deep, dark, narrow 
grave. 

The world with all its allurements, with all its 
enjoyments, exists for thee no longer. Imagine 
that, abandoned and alone, thou art fighting this 
last battle of life. All that thou canst hear is 
the ticking of the clock and the death-rattle in 
thy breast. But thy mind is clear at this very 
moment. Thou art in the full possession of thy 
faculties. Thou art even looking into eternity, 
for material things no longer make any impres- 
sion on thy senses. After death the judg- 
ment." Ask thyself now, by the faint glimmer of 
the blessed candle which is lighting thy way to 
eternity, the following questions: 

What dost thou now think of thy obligations? 
When thou wert in good health thou wert inclined 
to make light of the obligations thy calling im- 
posed upon thee. They came around so regularly 
and they filled thee with repugnance. Didst thou 
not become careless and perform them through 
routine? And yet these obligations were of 
great importance in the eyes of God. What dost 
thou now think by the light of the candle, of the 
manner in which thou didst perform them? Con- 
sider each of thy obligations 1 What of thy faith, 
thy patience, thy humility, thy charity, thy zeal 
for the good of thy neighbor and the glory of 
God? What dost thou now think of thy many 
faults, thy deliberate sins? How easily didst 
thou permit thy self-love to deceive thee. What 
dost thou now think of those trifles" of thy 
words, thy jokes, thy recreations, thy unchari- 
table actions. What dost thou now think of thy 
good works, of thy works of penance, of thy mor- 
tifications of the eyes, of the tongue? What dost 



140 THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



thou now care for the applause of the world? 
Ah, how hast thou changed; thou seest things in 
a different light, thou judgest them in a different 
way. 

Yes, my soul, what dost thou now, on the 
threshold of eternity, think of the sufferings, of 
the tribulations of life I What dost thou now 
think of the value of thy own sufferings! Hast 
thou made them fruitful for eternity by patience 
and resignation? 

AFFECTIONS AND PKAYEES 

0 God of my soul, how different do things ap- 
pear at this awful moment from what I often con- 
sidered them through life. How imperfect have 
been my works ! How poor and mean at times 
my acts of virtue, how imperfect my intentions! 
How negligent have I been to do Thy holy will 
when I knew it well. How easily have I excused 
myself under any slight pretext! How careless 
have I been to promote Thy honor and glory. 
How often have I sought rather my own renown 
than Thine. How often have I been guided by 
the false maxims of the world. How often have 
I been influenced by human respect. How in- 
dulgent have I been of myself and, alas, how hard- 
hearted and cruel at times with my neighbor. 0 
God, I repent of my sinfulness. I detest my innu- 
merable faults and imperfections. H it be possible, 
I willingly sacrifice myself to repair Thy honor 
and glory. If it be still possible that in spite of 
all I love Thee, I now wish to love Thee in a way 
that will make amends for all my carelessness 
and indifference. In Thy infinite mercy let me 
die in Thy love, because I still hope in the good- 
ness of God, who pardoned the dying thief upon 
the cross. Let me breathe my dying breath in 



AT THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT 141 

conformity with Thy holy will. 0 Mary, mother 
of Jesus, advocate of the most abandoned, in thy 
hands I place my cause. Take me under Thy 
protection, and save me in virtue of the sword of 
sorrows that pierced thy soul beneath the cross of 
thy dying Son. 

Point II 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

That final struggle is over. The sword of 
death has done its work. The body is cold 
and silent. The eyes are lifeless and glassy. 
The mouth is still open. The heart has ceased to 
beat. Eternity has begun. As soon, my soul, as 
thou leavest the body, thou standest in the awful 
presence of thy Lord and Master. Jesus Christ 
came upon earth for love of thee. He lived and 
labored and suffered and died for thee. With the 
last drop of His sacred blood He redeemed thee 
from the jaws of hell and gave thee graces in- 
numerable to earn an eternal crown. Step for- 
ward now and give an account of thy steward- 
ship, for now thou canst be steward no longer. 
Art thou prepared to give an account of every 
thought of thy mind, every desire of thy heart, 
every word that thou didst ever utter, every 
action that thou didst ever perform? Art thou 
prepared to have the angels scrutinize thy every 
intention, thy every motive 1 

Alas, my soul, how hast thou deceived thyself. 
Didst thou not know that God alone could make 
thee happy, that thou owest all to Him, that thou 
shouldst serve Him alone! How negligent, how 
careless, hast thou been with the holy sacraments 
of the Church. How indifferent hast thou been 
in the practice of virtue. How cold has been 



142 



THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



thy faith and devotion. How dead thy hope, how 
lame and delusive thy humility. How little didst 
thou care for the cross, though Jesus thy 
Saviour, thy present Judge, died upon it for thy 
sake. How often by thy acts hast thou denied 
Him before men, though thy Saviour had said, 
^^He that denieth Me before man, him also will 
I deny before My Father who is in heaven." 
Thou hast vowed to strive after perfection, and, 
alas, hast been so inconstant, so dissipated in 
mind, so neglectful of thy interior, so attached to 
things of the world and often so rebellious to 
God's holy will. 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 Grod, I thank Thee that this is an anticipated 
judgment. I thank Thee that I am yet among 
the living and have not died an unprepared death. 
I understand full well that Thou lovest me with 
an infinite love, since Thou still permittest me to 
live after all my negligence in Thy service. I 
see full well that I must change in many things if 
ever I wish to die a tranquil death. 0 holy 
Spirit, I thank Thee for having enlightened me 
in this hour. ^^0 death, thy sentence is good" 
(Ecclus, xli. 3). I repent with all my heart of 
all my past sins. I detest them with all the 
powers of my soul. I grieve sincerely for having 
been so remiss, so negligent in doing good. My 
prayers, my meditations, how hurriedly have they 
been made, and at times not made at all. How 
often have I neglected to mortify my eyes, my 
tongue, my appetite, even when I felt in con- 
science bound to do so! I detest this lukewarm- 
ness. My only real consolation now is the little 
good that I have done during life, the little fi- 
delity that I have shown in God 's service. Would 



AT THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT 143 



that I had served God with all my heart, with all 
my strength. I might then exclaim with St. 
Peter Alcantara, blessed penance, 0 blessed 
penance, that has brought me so great a reward T' 

Resolution 

I will often recall to mind the words of St. 
Augustine, ''Let us live well lest we die an un- 
happy death. ' ' In the days of health I will strive 
to produce such works as will render death and 
judgment light to me. ''I cried to Thee, 0 Lord; 
I said, Thou art my hope, my portion in the land of 
the living. . . . Bring my soul out of prison 
that I may praise Thy name'' (Ps, cxli. 6, 8). 0 
Jesus, by the judgment Thou didst endure for me 
on the cross, help me to judge myself severely dur- 
ing life that I may die a holy death and thus antici- 
pate the rigors of Thy judgment. 0 Mary, my 
mother, intercede for me. Help me to live well 
that I may be with thee for ever in heaven. 



OPTIONAL REFLECTION" 

©ur Safety Consists In iprai^er 

{From St, Alphonsus) 

Prayer is not only useful, but necessary 
for salvation; and therefore God, who desires 
that we should be saved, has enjoined it as a 
precept *'Seek, and it shall be given you." 
It was an error of Wyclif, condemned by 
the Council of Constance, to say that prayer 
was a subject of divine counsel to us, and 
not of command. ''It is necessary' ' — not it is 
advisable or fitting — ''always to pray/' Where- 



144 



THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



fore Doctors of the Churcli always say that he 
can not be held innocent of grievous sin who neg- 
lects to recommend himself to God, at least once 
a month, and at all times when he finds himself 
assaulted by severe temptation. 

The reason of this necessity of recommending 
ourselves often to God arises from our inability 
to do any good work, or to entertain any good 
thoughts of ourselves alone. ''Without Me ye 
can do nothing." ''We are not sufficient of our- 
selves to think anything of ourselves." There- 
fore, St. Philip Neri said that he despaired of 
himself. On the other hand, St. Augustine wrote 
that "God desires to bestow His graces, but only 
on those who ask for them. And especially," 
said the saint, "God only gives the grace of per- 
severance to those who seek it." 

It is a fact that the devil never ceases to go 
about seeking to devour us, and therefore we 
need ever to defend ourselves by prayer. "Con- 
tinual prayer is necessary for men," said St. 
Thomas. And Jesus Christ first taught us, 
"We must always pray, and not faint." Other- 
wise, how can we resist the perpetual temptations 
of the world and the devil? It was the error of 
Jansenius, condemned by the Church, that the 
observance of certain precepts was impossible, 
and that sometimes grace itself fails to render it 
possible to us. "God is faithful," said St. Paul, 
"who does not suffer us to be tempted above our 
strength." Yet He desires, that when we are 
tried we should have recourse to Him for help to 
resist. St. Augustine wrote, "The law is given 
that grace may be sought ; grace is given that the 
law may be fulfilled." Granting that the law 
can not be obeyed by us without grace, God has 
yet given us the law, in order that we may seek 



AT THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT 145 

the grace to fulfil it. All this was well expressed 
by the Council of Trent in these words; '^God 
does not command things that are impossible, but 
in commanding us He counsels thee both to do 
what thou canst and seek for aid for what thou 
canst not do, and He helps thee that thou mayest 
be able to do it." 

Thus, the Lord is ever ready to give us His 
help, in order that we may not be overcome by 
temptation; but He only gives this help to those 
who fly to Him in the time of trial, and especially 
in temptations against chastity, as the Wise Man 
wrote: Because I knew that thus only could I 
preserve continence, if God should grant it, 
therefore I went to the Lord and besought Him. ' ' 
Let us rest assured that we can never overcome 
our carnal appetites if God does not give us help, 
and this help we can not have without prayer; 
but if we pray we shall assuredly have power to 
resist the devil in everything, and the strength 
of God shall strengthen us; as St. Paul says, 
^ ^ I can do all things through God who strengthen- 
eth me." 

It is also most useful to us, in order to obtain 
divine grace, that we should have recourse to the 
intercession of the saints, who have great power 
with God, especially for the benefit of those who 
have a particular devotion to them. And this 
is not a mere devotion dependent upon our pri- 
vate fancy, but it is a duty, as St. Thomas writes, 
that the divine law requires that we mortals should 
receive the aid which is necessary for our salva- 
tion, through the prayers of the saints. Espe- 
cially does this aid come through the intercession 
of Mary, whose prayers are of more value than 
those of all the other saints; so much so, indeed, 
that, as St. Bernard says, it is through her in- 



146 THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



tercession tliat we have access to Jesus Christ, 
our mediator and saviour. '^Through thee we 
have access to the Son, 0 thon giver of grace, and 
mother of our salvation! that through thee He 
may receive us, who through thee was given for 
us.'' This is the teaching of the Church. Hence 
St. Bernard also says, ^^Let us seek for grace, and 
let us seek it through Mary; for he that seeks, 
finds, and can not be deceived." 

Let us, then, pray, and pray with confi- 
dence, says the Apostle. Let us go boldly to 
the throne of grace, that we may obtain 
mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. 
Jesus Christ now sits on the throne of grace to 
comfort all who fly to Him, and says, ^'Seek, 
and it shall be given you.'' On the day of 
judgment He will also sit upon His throne, but 
it will be a throne of judgment. What madness, 
then, it is in those who, having it in their power 
to be delivered from their miseries by going to 
Jesus, now that He sits on His throne of grace, 
wait till He becomes their judge, and will not 
avail themselves of His mercy. Now He says to 
us, that whatever we ask of Him, if we have con- 
fidence. He will give us. And what more can one 
friend do to another to show his love than say, 
* ' Seek what thou wilt, and I will give it to thee. ' ' 
St. James adds more, and says, ^'If any man need 
wisdom, let him ask it of God, who gives to all 
men abundantly, and reproaches not, and it shall 
be given him." By wisdom" is here meant the 
knowledge of the salvation of the soul; to have 
this wisdom, we must seek of God the graces 
necessary to bring us to salvation. And will God 
give them? Most assuredly He will give them, 
and in still greater abundance than we ask them. 
Let us observe also the words, '4Ie does not re- 



AT THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT 147 



proacli us.'' If the sinner repents of Ms sins, 
and asks salvation of God, God does not that 
which men do, who reproach the ungrateful with 
their ingratitude, and deny them what they ask, 
but He gives it to them willingly, and even more 
than they beg for. If, then, we would be saved, 
we must have our lips ever opened to pray, and 
say, '^My God, help me; my God, have mercy on 
me ; Mary, have mercy. ' ' When we cease to pray, 
we are lost. Let us pray for ourselves. Let us 
pray for sinners, for this is most pleasing to God. 
Let us also pray daily for the holy souls in pur- 
gatory; those holy prisoners are most grateful 
to all who pray for them. Whensoever we pray, 
let us seek grace of God through the merits of 
Jesus Christ, for He Himself assures us that 
whatever we ask in His name, He will give it to us. 

0 my God! this is the grace which, above all 
others, I ask through the merits of Jesus Christ. 
Grant that throughout my life, and especially in 
time of temptation, I may recommend myself to 
Thee, and hope for Thy help through the love of 
Jesus and Mary. 0 holy Virgin! obtain for me 
this grace on which depends my salvation. 



PAETICULAR EXAMINATION 

Qn Docility to tbe t)ol^ Spirit 

Do I realize: 

That the Holy Spirit is a great teacher! 
That He is both able and willing to aid me? 
That in His goodness He desires to teach me 

the knowledge of myself? 
That in His love He is more zealous for my 

progress even than I am myself? 



148 THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



That He expects a great docility on tlie part 

of His disciples! 
That docility is necessary for me to know my- 
self as God knows me ? 
Have I been attentive and willing to learn from 
this teacher? 

Do I really desire to know all? 
Am I resolved to profit by His lights? 
Say an act of contrition for faults, an act of 
thanksgiving for lights, and renew sentiments of 
docility. Eesolve to profit by the teaching of the 
Holy Spirit. 



THIRD MEDITATION 
U\)c IReUgtous at tbe General Jubgntent 

Pomr I 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

On the Last Day, when the works of man shall 
have been destroyed, the hour of judgment will 
approach. In the silence of death, the sound of 
the trumpet of resurrection will suddenly be 
heard. The moment has arrived when the dead 
shall hear the voice of the Son of God, Arise, 
ye dead and come to judgment. " ^ ^ And they that 
have done good things shall come forth unto the 
resurrection of life, but they that have done evil 
unto the resurrection of judgment" {John v. 29). 
^^And many of those that sleep in the dust of the 
earth shall awake" (Dan. xii. 2). 0 what a sight! 
To see all mankind arise from the grave and be 
conducted by the angels of God to the place of 
judgment. There they stand, all peoples, all 



AT THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 149 



nations that have ever lived — all the children of 
Adam. The sign of the Son of man, the cross, 
is shining like a flame of fire above them. All 
earthly greatness now disappears. There is no 
more distinction of rank, of birth, of riches, of 
genius, or of talent. All this has come to an end 
forever. All that is terrestrial has ceased, all 
vanity has disappeared. The mists of time, 
which represented things in a false color, have 
vanished. The sunlight of divine truth has shed 
its rays upon the assembled multitude. There 
kings stand among peasants, millionaires among 
beggars, the learned among the ignorant, re- 
ligious, priests, and bishops among the laity! 
Earthly preference has come to an end. '^In that 
day a man shall cast away his idols of silver and 
his idols of gold" {Is, ii. 20). 

Look, above that surging multitude the cross 
of the Eedeemer is shining brightly. * ^ Then shall 
appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven" 
(Matt. xxiv. 30). The cross and the science of 
the cross remain, but all human systems and in- 
stitutions have vanished. The teaching of the 
cross alone survives the world, and according to 
this teaching the world will now be judged. 

My soul, thou also art among that vast throng. 
Thou art come to be publicly judged according 
to the doctrine of the cross. Where is now that 
prominence, that greatness, that blind pretension 
which thou hast fondly cherished? What a shock- 
ing revelation is this to thee who hast sought the 
applause of the world? What does it profit thee 
now to have been prominent during life, to have 
had the reputation of learning, of wealth and in- 
fluence? Yes, what art thou now, denuded of 
all with which nature and art, rank and learning 
invested thee ? Nothing but a poor creature, less 



150 THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



perhaps than some poor beggar whom thou didst 
despise during life! 

0 think of thyself, my soul ! Dost thou not lay 
by far too much stress upon external appear- 
ances, which do not increase thy true value? 
How vain is now the praise of the world! Dost 
thou now understand those words of thy Saviour : 
^'What will it profit a man to gain the whole 
world and lose his own soul!" Behold, the 
watchword of the Saviour is written upon the 
cross: ^'Humility, penance, self-denial." Has 
this, alas, been thy rule of life, the principle of 
thy conduct! Or hast thou been often influenced 
by pride, gratification, and indulgence! Examine 
thy motives, judge them according to the com- 
mandments of God and the precepts of Holy 
Church. Weigh them in the balance of the sanc- 
tuary. Measure them by thy holy Eule. How 
far have the principles of the saints or the 
maxims of the world guided thee ! 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 God of my soul, well do I now understand 
the words of St. Francis of Assisi: '^I am, what 
I am before God and nothing more." Alas, this 
has not always been my practice, or rather the 
principle of my conduct. How often have I de- 
ceived myself and made others think me better, 
more learned, more gifted than I really was! 
How often have I acted through pride, through 
love of ease and comfort, through human respect, 
through negligence, than from love of Thee ! Oh, 
I repent of all my worldliness with all my heart. 
In the future I desire to live entirely for Thee. 
The watchword of my Saviour, Humility, pen- 
ance, and self-denial," shall henceforth be the 
principle of my actions. Impress these words 



AT THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 151 



deeply upon my mind, engrave them upon my 
heart, that they may never leave me. With them 
I will dispose myself for Thy grace, with them I 
shall do penance for my sins, with them I shall 
be enabled to live entirely in conformity with Thy 
holy will. 

Point II 

COl^SIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Behold, the divine Judge now appears, and at 
His command the angels separate the good from 
the bad and place the former to the right but the 
latter to the left. Oh, what a spectacle will this 
separation present! It will be a parting of per- 
sons, a parting of hearts forever. No opposition 
will be of any avail. The inflexible will of the 
divine Judge will separate persons forever. 

Upon earth the human race constitutes one 
great family. It is the wish of the Holy Ghost 
that all the members of this vast family should 
be united by the bond of love. Hence the com- 
mandment, ^^Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy- 
self. ' ' This fraternal charity must be founded on 
divine charity. Our love for God must be the 
source, the foundation, and the guide of our love 
for our neighbor. If our fraternal charity is not 
regulated and guided by divine charity, it is no 
true charity. 

On the day of the general judgment all actions 
that did not spring from divine charity and were 
not guided by it will have no value. Then the 
elect only love the elect. They detest and con- 
demn and would gladly undo if possible whatever 
they did contrary to divine charity during life. 
Though forgiven in the tribunal of Penance they 
would gladly lament these misdeeds for all eter- 
nity. But God in His goodness screens these re- 



152 



THE DAY or KNOWLEDGE 



pented faults as with a pall of oblivion, and wipes 
away the penitent's tears. 

But the reprobate, those to the left, possess no 
trace of charity whatever. They detest all their 
fellow creatures alike and hate God with an eter- 
nal hatred. They hate and curse their lives, all 
the charitj^ they ever performed. This consum- 
ing hatred will be their portion forever; it will 
be the portion of all who die deprived of the grace 
of God. 

0 my soul, thou art now face to face with a 
fundamental truth in the supernatural life. Thou 
seest that whatever does not proceed from divine 
charity and is not guided by it will have no value 
on that awful day. How many actions hast thou 
performed that were altogether sinful, and there- 
fore destructive of this divine bond of union? 
How many countless actions didst thou perform 
that were purely natural of themselves and not 
supematuralized by a good intention? Dost thou 
now see what thou hast neglected by thy indiffer- 
ence ? How many of thy works hast thou vitiated 
by thy mere natural and selfish motives? Dost 
thou find one action of them in a hundred, yes, in 
a thousand, that is composed of the unalloyed 
good of divine charity? How much of thy life 
hast thou cast away? How little hast thou really 
given to God even after thou didst come to His 
service? Behold thou hast yet a short time to 
amend and bring forth fruits worthy of the living 
vine of which thou art a branch, worthy of the 
Holy Spirit who wishes to reproduce in thee the 
works of God, for "God is love.'' 

APFECTIONS AND PRAYEES 

0 God, I repent with all my heart of the bad 
use I have made of my time. Thou hast created 



AT THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 153 



me to love Thee and I have so often forgotten 
Thee and even offended Thee. Have mercy upon 
me, I beseech Thee. I trust that Thou wilt be 
lenient with me. I hope, then, for pardon and 
the grace to change my life. I desire to love 
Thee alone during the time that yet remains. I 
desire to love Thee out of pure love, with a grate- 
ful heart for all the blessings which Thou hast 
bestowed upon me. 0 help me to be faithful to 
Thee whilst Thou art my faithful, my best, my 
only true friend, that I may not have to fear Thee 
on that great day when all thy creatures will have 
to appear before Thee, when Thou wilt be the 
stern Judge of the living and the dead. 

Resolution 

I will cling to the principle of St. Stanislaus: 
^ ' I am born for eternity, not for the world ; there- 
fore, I will live for eternity and not for time.*' 
I will do this especially by a frequent renewal of 
my good intentions to do all for love of God. 
'^Withhold not, 0 Lord, Thy tender mercies from 
me. Thy mercy and Thy truth have always up- 
held me" {Ps. xxxix. 12). 0 Mary, thou didst 
understand the emptiness of earthly things better 
than any other human being; help me by thy in- 
fluence to despise the fleeting goods of this world, 
that I may secure an eternal inheritance in heaven. 



OPTIONAL KEFLECTION 

Ubc '^cccssit^ Of Cental ©raider 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

Mental prayer is in the first place necessary, 
in order that we may have light to go on the 



154 



THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



journey to eternity. Eternal truths are spiritual 
things that are not seen with the eyes of the body, 
but only by the reflection of the mind. He that 
does not meditate does not .see them ; and thus he 
advances with difficulty along the way of salva- 
tion. And further, he who does not meditate, 
does not know his failings, and thus, says St. Ber- 
nard, he does not detest them ; so, also, he does not 
see the perils of his state, and therefore does not 
think of avoiding them. But when we meditate, 
our failings and perils quickly present them- 
selves ; and when we see them we seek to remedy 
them. St. Bernard said that meditation regulates 
our affections, directs our actions, and corrects 
our faults. 

In the second place, without meditation we have 
no strength to resist temptation and practise vir- 
tue. St. Teresa said that when a man leaves off 
meditation, the devil has no need of carrying him 
to hell, for he throws himself into it. And the 
reason is, that without meditation there is no 
prayer. God has every willingness to give us 
graces; but St. Gregory said that before giving 
them He desires to be asked, and that He is then, 
as it were, compelled to give them through our 
prayers. But without prayer we shall have no 
strength to resist our enemies, and thus shall not 
obtain perseverance in what is good. Palafox, in 
his note upon the tenth letter of St. Teresa, wrote 
thus: ^^How will the Lord give us perseverance 
if we do not ask for itf, and how shall we ask it 
without meditation?'* While he who practises 
meditation is ''like a tree planted near the run- 
ning water'' {Ps. i. 3). 

And, further, meditation is the happy furnace 
in which souls are inflamed with divine love. ''In 
my meditation a fire shall flame out." St. Cath- 



AT THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 155 



erine of Bologna said, ^ ^ Meditation is the bond 
which binds the soul to God ; the king brought me 
into the wine-cellar, He fixed His love upon me." 
This wine-cellar is meditation, in which the soul 
becomes so inebriated with divine love that it 
loses, as it were, its sense for the things of the 
world ; it sees only that which pleases its beloved ; 
it speaks only of the beloved; it would only 
hear of the beloved; every other discourse 
wearies and troubles it. In meditation, the soul, 
retiring to converse alone with God, rests upon 
itself. ^ ' He shall sit solitary and hold his peace ; 
because he hath taken it upon himself." When 
the soul sits — that is, shuts itself up in meditation 
to consider how worthy is God of love, and how 
great is the love He bears to it — it then tastes of 
God, and fills itself with holy thoughts, and de- 
taches itself from earthly affections, conceives 
great desires for becoming holy, and finally re- 
solves to give itself entirely to God. And where 
but in meditation have the saints made their most 
generous resolutions, which have lifted them up 
to the highest point of perfection ? 

Let us hear what St. John of the Cross said, 
speaking of mental prayer; ^^Here we open our 
heart, here we learn sweet doctrines, and make 
ourselves belong wholly to God, reserving noth- 
ing, and espousing ourselves to Him." And St. 
Aloysius Gonzaga said that no one will ever at- 
tain a high degree of perfection who is not much 
given to meditation. Let us, then, earnestly ap- 
ply ourselves to it, and not leave it for any weari- 
ness that we may experience; this weariness 
which we endure for God will be abundantly rec- 
ompensed by Him. 

Pardon me, 0 my God, my slothfulness ; what 
treasures of grace have I lost in so often neglect- 



156 THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



ing to meditate ! For the future give me grace to 
be faithful through life in conversing with Thee, 
with whom I hope to converse forever in heaven. 
I do not ask Thee to delight me here with Thy 
consolations ; I do not deserve it ; it is enough that 
Thou dost suffer me to approach Thy feet to rec- 
ommend to Thee my poor soul, which is thus mis- 
erable because it has separated itself from Thee. 
Here, 0 my crucified Jesus ! the sole memory of 
Thy passion shall keep me detached from earth 
and united with Thee. 0 holy Virgin Mary! aid 
me with thy prayers. 



OPTIONAL READING 

5)etacbment from Self^mill 

{From St. AlpJionsus) 

A Eeligious must altogether renounce his own 
will, consecrating it entirely to holy obedience. 
Of all things, this is the most necessary. What 
does it avail to leave comforts, parents, and hon- 
ors if one still carries into religion one's own 
will? In this principally consists the denial of 
ourselves, the spiritual death, and the entire sur- 
render of ourselves to Jesus Christ. The gift of 
the heart, that is of the will, is what pleases Him 
most, and what he wishes from the children of re- 
ligion. Otherwise, if we do not entirely detach 
ourselves from our will and renounce it in all, 
all mortifications, all meditations and prayers, 
and all other sacrifices will be of little avaif. It 
is, then, evident that this is the greatest merit 
that we can have before God, and it is the sure and 
only way of pleasing Him in all things, so that 
then we can each one of us say what Jesus our 



AT THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 



157 



Saviour said: ^^I do always the things that please 
Him." Certainly he who in religion lives with- 
out self-will may say and hope that in all that he 
does he pleases God, whether he studies or prays 
or works, whether he goes to the refectory or to 
recreation or to rest ; for in religion not a step is 
made, not a breath drawn, but in obedience to the 
Eule or to Superiors. The world does not know, 
and even certain persons given to spirituality 
have little idea, of the great value of a Community 
life under obedience. It is true that outside of 
religious Communities there are to be found many 
persons who do much, and maybe more than those 
that live under obedience ; they preach, they teach, 
do penance, pray, and fast; but in all this they 
consult more or less their own will. God grant 
that at the Day of Judgment they may not have to 
lament as those mentioned in the Scripture: 
^^Why have we fasted, and Thou hast not re- 
garded ; why have we humbled our souls, and Thou 
hast not taken notice I Behold in the day of your 
fast your own will is found." On which passage 
St. Bernard remarks: Self-will is a great evil, 
for it is the cause that what is good in itself may be 
for you no good at all." This is to be under- 
stood, when in all these exercises one seeks not 
God, but oneself. On the contrary, he who does 
all by obedience is sure that in all he pleases God. 
The Venerable Mother Mary of Jesus said that 
she prized her vocation to religion so much prin- 
cipally for two reasons : the first was, that in the 
monastery she enjoyed always the presence and 
company of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament ; and 
the other was, that there by obedience she be- 
longed entirely to God, sacrificing to Him her own 
will. 

It is related by Father Rodriguez that after the 



158 



THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



death of Dositheus, the disciple of St. Dorotheus, 
the Lord revealed that in those five years he had 
lived under obedience, though by reason of his 
infirmities he could not practise the austerities of 
the other monks, yet by the virtue of obedience he 
had merited the reward of St. Paul the Hermit, 
and of St. Antony the Abbot. 

He, then, who wishes to persevere in religion 
must resolve to renounce his own will entirely 
and to will only what holy obedience wills. God 
preserve any Eeligious from ever letting fall from 
his mouth the words I will or I ivill not! But in 
all things, even when asked by superiors what he 
desires, he should only answer, ^'I wish what holy 
obedience wills." And, provided there is no evi- 
dent sin, he should in every command imposed on 
him obey blindly and without examination; be- 
cause the duty of examining and deciding the 
doubts belong not to him, but to his superiors. 
Otherwise, if in obeying he does not submit his 
judgment to that of the Superior, his obedience 
will be imperfect. St. Ignatius of Loyola said 
"that prudence in things of obedience is not re- 
quired in subjects, but in superiors ; and if there 
is prudence in obeying, it is to obey without pru- 
dence." St. Bernard says, "Perfect obedience is 
indiscreet"; and in another place he says, "For 
a prudent novice to remain in religion is an im- 
possible thing"; and adding the reason for it, he 
said: "To judge belongs to the Superior, and to 
obey, to the subject." 

But to make progress in this virtue of obedi- 
ence, on which all depends, he must always keep 
his mind ready to do all that to which he feels the 
greatest repugnance, and, on tlie contrary, he 
must be prepared to bear it quietly when he sees 
that all that he seeks or desires is refused to him. 



OBJECT OF THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 159 



It will happen that when he wishes to be in soli- 
tude, to apply himself to prayer or study, he will 
be the most employed in exterior occupations. 
For, though it is true that in religion we lead as 
much as possible a solitary life when at home, 
and that for this end there are many hours of si- 
lence, the retreat each year, besides daily spiritual 
exercises, nevertheless, if in an active Institute 
a Eeligious is continually employed by obedience, 
he should content himself with the prayers and 
exercises of the Community. He must be pre- 
pared sometimes to go even without these, when 
obedience will have him do so, without either ex- 
cusing himself or being disquieted, being well per- 
suaded of that which St. Mary Magdalene of 
Pazzi was so confident of when she said: ''All the 
things which are done through obedience are but 
so many prayers.'' 



FOURTH MEDITATION 
©bject ot tbe General Jubgrnent 

Point I 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The time of harvest {Matt. xiii. 30), the great 
day of the Lord {Joel ii. 11), has arrived. The 
Son of God, surrounded by myriads of angels, has 
descended to earth with great power and majesty. 
The angels have divided mankind, the good to the 
right, and the wicked to the left of the Judge. 
''Now will the Holy Ghost convince the world of 
sin, and of justice, and of judgment" {John xvi. 
8). 



160 THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



God created all things for Himself, for His 
honor and glory. God is the center, the upholder 
of all honor; this His very nature demands. Ir- 
rational creatures honor Him of necessity. But 
man should do this of his free will. This is, in 
one word, man's obligation. ^'Fear God, and 
keep His commandments; for this is all man" 
(Eccles. xii. 13). But, alas, the contrary is often 
the case. Many care nothing about God. Others 
otfend Him continually by their sinful lives. 
Even many Eeligious, on account of their indif- 
ference, fulfil but few of their obligations per- 
fectly. Nay more, they dishonor God by their 
want of fervor and fraternal charity. And they 
do this without making reparation during life for 
the scandal they give. Can the infinite justice of 
God pass this over in silence? Does His justice 
not demand a public reparation, even before the 
same witnesses 1 Certainly it does, and this takes 
place on the Last Day. Therefore all now pros- 
trate themselves before the God-Man and confess 
Him to be the All-Holy to whom all honor and 
glory is due. They do this crushed by the maj- 
esty of the divine Judge. Thus the words of the 
Apostle are literally fulfilled: ''That in the 
name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and 
that every tongue should confess that the Lord 
Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father" 
(Philipp. ii. 10-11). 

Bear in mind that thou art created to glorify 
God. Glorify Him thou must, whether thou wilt 
or not, my soul. Thou wilt either render Him 
honor and glory during thy earthly career, or thou 
wilt glorify Him by compulsion on the ''great 
day."- If thou glorify Him now, "He will be thy 
reward exceeding great." If not, thou wilt have 



OBJECT OF THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 161 

to repair thy sin by a public homage, a public hu- 
miliation on the day of final reckoning. 

Think often on this, my soul. Live now to solve 
the one problem of thy life. Look not to the 
right nor to the left ; serve God with all thy heart. 
Do this freely and joyfully; do it faithfully and 
constantly; then thou wilt be able to join with all 
thy heart in the hymn of praise with which the 
saints will close the world cycle: ^^Thou art 
worthy, 0 Lord our God, to receive glory, and 
honor, and power, because Thou hast created all 
things ; and for Thy will they were, and have been 
created" {Apoc. iv. 11). But if thou doest it not 
during thy earthly career, then woe be to thee. 
*^For the great day of the Lord is near . . . 
A day of wrath ... a day of calamity and 
misery . . . And I will distress men . . . 
Neither shall their silver and their gold be able 
to deliver them" (Soph. i. 15-18). 

AFFECTIONS AND PKAYERS 

0 God of infinite goodness, thou hast created 
me for Thy own honor and glory. Thou lovest 
me with an eternal love and askest me to love 
Thee in return. Thou hast showered all possible 
blessings upon me; Thou hast raised me to the 
supernatural life, and made me an heir of heaven. 
Thou didst not hesitate to sacrifice Thy only be- 
gotten Son for my sake, and now Thou rightly 
expectest that I should show my gratitude to Thee 
by loving and serving Thee all the days of my life. 
All other creatures honor Thee perfectly accord- 
ing to their nature. I alone, who have received 
so many special blessings, have turned my back 
upon Thee. And yet this conduct is not only 
foolish but mad. I must glorify Thee. I must 



162 



THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



either glorify Tliy goodness and love upon earth, 
or I must glorify Thy justice before all mankind. 

0 God, every possible motive that I can have tells 
me to glorify Thy goodness and love during life. 

1 would be the most ungrateful of creatures if I 
did not do so. I would make myself unhappy for 
time and for eternity. I repent, 0 God of love and 
mercy, of all the disorders of my past life. Would 
that I could blot them out with my life's blood. 
With the help of Thy grace I desire to show my 
gratitude in the future. I am nothing of myself. 
But I confide in the goodness of Him who died for 
me upon the cross. I desire to love Thee with 
all my heart. My whole life shall henceforth be 
directed solely to Thy greater honor and glory. 
In future I will live only to love and serve Thee 
according to Thy holy will. Help me to glorify 
Thy goodness upon earth, that I may praise Thy 
infinite perfection with all the just on the day 
of awful reckoning. 

PoixT II 

COXSIDEEATIOXS AXD APPLICATIOXS 

If God is really the only object worthy of abso- 
lute honor, then everything else is worthy of 
esteem only in so far as it comes from God or is 
directed to Him. This is especially the case with 
man. Only such are in truth deserving of honor 
who honor almighty God. On the contrary, all 
who do not glorify God. no matter what their rank 
or position, have no true claim to honor and es- 
teem. At present we find the contrary to be the 
rule. The good are passed by, even despised at 
times, but the wicked are praised and honored. 
But at the general judgment this flagrant in- 
justice will be repaired in a most striking manner. 



OBJECT OF THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 163 



The good will be brought to light and crowned 
with honor and glory. But the wicked will be 
overwhelmed with confusion. Conscious of their 
disgrace they will call out to the mountains, * * Fall 
upon us," and to the hills, Cover us" {Luke 
xxiii. 30). 

The same reasoning applies to the actions of 
men. Even the smallest action deserves praise if 
it be performed for God's honor and glory, in con- 
formity with His holy will. On the contrary, 
the most brilliant actions are deserving of no 
recognition if they are not referred to almighty 
God. At present, alas, man does not always act 
according to this principle. Consequently, this 
injustice will be solemnly repaired on the Last 
Day. On that day every individual act of man 
will be estimated at its true value and rewarded 
or punished accordingly. Then will the true serv- 
ants of God be crowned and glorified and their 
works receive an eternal reward. Then will the 
wicked be unmasked and their works overwhelmed 
with confusion. ' ^ For behold . . . unto you that 
fear My name, the Sun of justice shall arise 
. . . and you shall tread down the wicked when 
they shall be ashes under the sole of your feet" 
{Mai iv. 2-3). 

0 my soul, dost thou understand these great 
truths, that thou art deserving of honor and recog- 
nition only in so far as thou honorest and glori- 
fiest almighty God, and that thy works are 
deserving of recognition only in so far as they are 
prompted by divine charity and are directed to 
God's honor and glory, according to His holy will? 
Look to thyself, my soul, and see what claim thou 
and thy works have to a recognition in the 
past. Look at things as they will appear on the 
day of general reckoning, when God's honor will 



164 



THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



be vindicated and thou receive a just reward. 

1. Hast thou been one of those pious and true 
servants of God, who seek only the glory of God 
and strive to do His will in all things? If so, 
thank God. 

2. Hast thou been one of those religious poli- 
ticians who didst receive much honor from men 
but didst not seek the glory of God alone? If 
thou belongest to this class thou hast reason to 
tremble, to fear, to repent. 

3. Have thy works really been performed for 
God's glory, or had they only the appearance of 
good? Eemember that thou mayest deceive men 
now, but all things will come to light on the last 
day. 

AFFECTIONS AND PRAYEES 

0 God, I thank Thee for all the good Thy grace 
did enable me to perform. I lament that in so 
many things I sought only the gratification of my 
own will. I repent of all the dishonor I have 
caused Thee, of all the honor I have failed to show 
Thee. I desire to change my life. I desire to live 
wholly for Thee, to give pleasure to Thee alone, 
and only to love and praise Thy holy name. I de- 
sire to love and serve Thee with the fidelity of the 
angels, with the perfection of the blessed Virgin 
Mary and the saints. I do not wish to appear 
empty-handed before Thee. Bless my good in- 
tentions. 

Resolution 

1 resolve to make Thy glory the object of all 
my actions. I resolve to regulate my life entirely 
according to Thy holy will. I resolve to live and 
act only out of love for Thee. "To the King of 
ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor 



OBJECT OF THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 165 

and glory forever and ever (Tim. i. 17). Not 
to ns, 0 Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give 
glory (Ps. cxiii. 9). 0 Mary, mother of per- 
severance, help me to be faithful to God till my 
dying breath. 



OPTIONAL EEFLECTION 

IPreparation for 2)eatb 

(From St, AlpJionsus) 

Death is certain. '^It is appointed to all men 
once to die." On the other hand, the time and 
manner of our death are uncertain. Therefore 
Jesus Christ exhorts us, ^^Be ye ready, for ye 
know not the hour when the Son of man cometh. ' ' 
He says, ^'Be ye ready;" and therefore it is nec- 
essary not only to be prepared for death when 
it comes, but we must be ready to embrace it in 
whatever manner and in whatever circumstances 
it may come to us. It is, accordingly, very de- 
sirable that every one, at least once a month, 
should make the following act of devotion: 

Behold, 0 my Grod ! I am ready to embrace that 
death which Thou dost destine for me. From 
this time I embrace it, and I sacrifice my life in 
honor of Thy majesty, and also in penance for my 
sins, being resigned that this flesh, to please which 
I have so often offended Thee, should be devoured 
by worms, and be reduced to dust. 0 my Jesus ! 
I unite the pains and agonies which Thou, my 
Saviour, didst suffer in Thy death. I accept death 
with all the circumstances Thou mayest appoint; 
I accept its time, whether it be near or distant ; I 
accept the manner, whether sudden or not, and 
that more or less painful illness which may please 



166 THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



Thee. In everything I resign myself to Thy holy 
will. Give me strength to suffer all with patience. 

''What shall I render to the Lord for all the 
benefits He hath given me ! " I thank Thee, 0 my 
God! first for the gift of faith, declaring that I 
desire to die a child of the holy Catholic Church. 
I thank Thee for not having caused me to die when 
I was in sin, and for having so often pardoned 
me with so much mercy. I thank Thee for so 
many lights of grace with which Thou hast sought 
to draw me to Thy love. I pray Thee to grant 
me to die after receiving the holy Viaticum, that, 
united with Thee, I may present myself at Thy tri- 
bunal. I do not deserve to hear from Thy mouth, 
''Well done, good and faithful servant, because 
thou hast been faithful in a few things, I will set 
thee over many; enter into the joy of thy Lord.'' 
I do not deserve it, for in nothing have I been per- 
fectly faithful to Thee; but Thy death gives me 
hope that I shall be admitted to heaven, to love 
Thee there eternally with all my powers. 

0 my crucified Love ! have mercy upon me ; look 
upon me with that love with which Thou didst 
look upon me from the cross when dying for me. 
"Kemember not the sins of my youth and my ig- 
norance, 0 Lord." My sins terrify me, but I am 
comforted by that cross, on which I see Thee dead 
through the love of me. "Behold the wood of the 
cross on which hung the salvation of the world." 
I desire to end my life, that I may cease to offend 
Thee ; by the blood that was shed for me, pardon 
me all my sins before death comes upon me. 0 
blood of the Innocent, wash away the stains of the 
guilty. 

My Jesus, I embrace Thy cross, and kiss the 
wounds of Thy holy feet, before which I desire to 
breathe my soul away. Leave me not at the last 



OBJECT OF THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 167 

hour ; ' ' We pray Thee save Thy servants whom 
Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood." 
I love Thee with all my heart, I love Thee more 
than myself, I repent with all my soul that I have 
displeased Thee. 0 Lord! I was lost, but Thou 
in Thy goodness hast delivered me from the world ; 
receive, then, my soul from this hour, until it 
leaves the world. Therefore I pray with St. 
Agatha, ''Lord, Thou who hast taken from me the 
love of this world, receive my soul. In Thee, 0 
Lord, have I hoped ; let me not be confounded for- 
ever; Thou hast redeemed me, 0 Lord God of 
truth." 

0 holy Virgin! help me at the moment of my 
death; holy Mary, mother of God, pray for me a 
sinner, now and at the hour of my death. In thee. 
0 Lady ! have I hoped, I shall not be confounded 
forever. St. Joseph, my protector, obtain for 
me a holy death. My guardian angel, St. Michael 
the archangel, defend me from the evil one in the 
last conflict. My holy patrons, and all saints in 
paradise, succor me in that last hour. Jesus, 
Mary, and Joseph, be with me at the hour of my 
death. 

EXAMINATION 
QxK tbe Bternal Urutbs 

Have I acted as though God had given me an 
indefinite lease on life? Am I aware that I must 
render an account of my stewardship? that the 
trial of life, the possibility of merit, ends with 
death? that I shall be judged in the strictest 
justice, rewarded or punished according to my 
deserts? Do I remember that on the day of the 
general judgment my entire life will be mani- 



168 



THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



fested to the entire world! Have I taken more 
care of my body than of my soul? Do I realize 
that it does not matter when or where I live as 
long as I am ever ready to appear before the judg- 
ment seat of Jesus Christ 1 Am I more concerned 
about sanctifying the present moment than about 
living a long life? Do recollection and purity of 
heart interest me more than food, clothing, and 
rest ? Do I make more effort to walk in the pres- 
ence of God than to seek distractions? Do I 
realize that time is quickly passing? that life, even 
when long, is but a wave on the ocean of eternity? 
that heaven is my true home? that it depends on 
me whether I shall enter it? The graces I have 
received would suffice to make a saint of many 
others ; what have they profited me ? How many 
opportunities of doing good have I let pass by? 
How I shall regTet this negligence when I appear 
before the judgment seat of God! What will be 
my confusion then if I have been a slothful Ee- 
ligious! Have I been more concerned about 
pleasing others than about pleasing almighty 
God? What will vanity, self-love, ease, and com- 
fort profit me in eternity? Have I profited by 
the privilege of prayer? made my meditations 
well? heard Holy Mass devoutly? received holy 
communion fervently? Am I nearer and dearer 
to God than I was a year ago? What have I 
really done for heaven? 
**Eemember thy last end." 

Protestation for a Happy Death. (P. 77.) 



OBJECT OF THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 



HYMN 

tibe U^ovim Soul (n 2)esolatton 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

0 dark and solitary grove, 
Whose somber shades impart 

A gloom that makes thee well accord 
With my sad, lonely heart ; 

Come, bear me friendly company, 

Compassionate my woe. 
And suffer thus without restraint 

My sobs and tears to flow. 

1 weep, and ever still must weep ; 
Nought can my tears restrain. 

Until my God, my best beloved 
At length I find again. 

Ah ! where art Thou, my only good ? 

Ah ! whither hast Thou gone ? 
Far, far away, thus leaving me 

Disconsolate alone. 

Where is that happy time, 0 God, 

That time of joy and grace. 
When the loved Spouse consoled my heart 

With his sweet heavenly face; 

When in the sweetest sleep of soul, 

He aimed the flaming dart, 
Inflicting first a wound of love. 

Then ravishing my heart. 

When, all inflamed with love divine, 
My sighs were breaths of fire; 

And while I loved, still more and more 
To love was my desire. 

Alas ! how soon the cruel storm 

Succeeds the calm so dear ! 
The very light of heaven above 

Now fills my soul with fear. 



THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE 



Horrors I see aud feel around 

Where'er I look or go ; 
And eveiytliing' inspires with dread, 

And adds fresh pain and woe. 

Alas! forsaken and alone 

Myself I ever see, 
And in my bitter agony 

No one can comfort me. 

Death, death itself with cruel spite 

Torments, but does not kill ; 
The gates are shut ; I cannot flee, 

I live a captive still. 

I fain would flee — but where, to find 

A hand to set me free, 
If He who life alone can give 

Flies far away from me? 

0 my Beloved ! help Thou me ; 
If Thou hast gone, return. 

See how I sigh disconsolate, 
And for Thy presence yearn. 

Ah ! be at length appeased with me ; 

My Life ! return agam ; 
And since 'tis Thou hast pierced me thus, 

Heal Thou my hidden pain. 

Good cause hast Thou, dear Lord, I own. 

Forever to depart; 
Yet see, ah ! see. Thy chains remain 

Entwined around my heart. 

And should there be, alas, no hope 

Of pardon yet for me, 
Still know, dear Jesus, I am Thine, 

And Thine will ever be. 

1 love Thee, though I seem to be 
But hateful m^Thy sight; 

And I will ever follow Thee 
Where'er Thou turn Thy flight. 



THE FOURTH DAY 



Zl)c S)ai2 of IReeolutton 

Dedicated to the Spirit of Fortitude 
Disposition. — Patience. 

Motto.— ''Turn ye to Me, saith the Lord of 
hosts, and I will turn to you" {Zach, i. 3). 

The Special End of the exercises of this day is 
to convert the soul entirely to God, and to induce 
it to resolve on following Jesus, its guide, in imi- 
tation of Mary, its model, with a whole heart, that 
thus it may attain the Christian Ideal. 

Reading. — The Obligations of Religious Vows, 
from your Rules and Constitutions. 

PEAYER TO OBTAIN THE GIFT OF FORTITUDE 

Holy Spirit, divine consoler! I adore Thee as 
my true God, just as I adore God the Father and 
God the Son. I bless Thee by uniting myself to 
the blessings that Thou dost receive from the 
angels and seraphs. I offer Thee my whole heart, 
and I render Thee heartfelt thanks for all the 
benefits that Thou hast bestowed and dost un- 
ceasingly bestow upon the world. Thou, who art 
tTie author of all supernatural gifts, and who didst 
enrich with immense favors the soul of the blessed 
Virgin Mary, the mother of God, I beseech Thee 
to visit me by Thy grace and Thy love, and to 
grant me the gift of Fortitude, in order that I 
may be able courageously to overcome all the 

171 



172 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



attacks of the devil, and escape all tlie dangers 
of the world that stand in the way of my eternal 
salvation. 

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, Glory he to the 
Father three times. 

THOUGHTS AND EJACULATIONS 

Eternal Father, help me for the love of Jesns. 
I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee ! 
Suffer me not to separate myself from Thee ! 
My Jesns, Thou alone art sufficient for me ! 
I hope to love Thee for eternity, 0 eternal God. 
I wish to do everything that I know to be Thy 
pleasure. 

0 tears of Mary! obtain for me sorrow for my 
sins. 



FIEST MEDITATION 
TLbc /iDerc^ of Got) 

Point I 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Among all the attributes of God, none* appear in 
so favorable a light upon earth as His boundless 
mercy for man. Does it not require an abund- 
ance of compassion, patience, and longanimity on 
the part of almighty God to permit the sinner even 
to exist? And yet the Royal Prophet exclaims: 
"The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord!" 
(Ps. xxxii. 5.) And St. Paul also adds, "God is 
rich in mercy'' {Eph, ii. 4). To obtain a faint 
idea of the mercy of God consider : 

1. The malice of sin. No matter how you re- 
gard sin, it certainly provokes the all-just God to 



THE MERCY OF GOD 



173 



anger and constrains Him to avenge His inalien- 
able rights. The sinful act is a shameful rebellion 
against the holiest of authorities. Man, who com- 
mits the sin, is a miserable worm of the earth, a 
handful of dust, a creature that depends entirely 
upon God's goodness for his existence. Man, 
moreover, commits his sin under the very eyes of 
God, who can annihilate him by a single word, and 
that without doing violence to His own happiness. 
And in spite of all this, God patiently suffers the 
sinner to go on for years and years. Is that not 
a most astounding example of the mercy of God! 

2. Consider, moreover, that God is not satisfied 
with permitting the sinner to exist; the Holy 
Ghost actually pursues the sinner with His love 
and overwhelms him with favors. He continually 
offers him pardon on the easiest possible condi- 
tions, and even importunes him with His grace, 
though He gains nothing by the sinner 's return. 

3. Consider the touching, lovable admonitions 
with which the Holy Ghost invites in the Scrip- 
tures the sinner to return. Think of the touching 
parable of the Prodigal, of the Good Shepherd. 
Think of the God-Man, who suffered the most ig- 
nominious death for the salvation of sinners. 
Ah, the mercies of God exceed all His works ! 

0 my soul, is this not an excess of mercy ! Canst 
thou reflect on all this and not exclaim in admira- 
tion: God, who is like to Thee in charity and 
compassion!" ^^Who is like to Thee, 0 God, who 
takest away iniquity and passeth by the sin of the 
remnant of Thy inheritance! He will send His 
fury in no more, because He delighteth in mercy'' 
{Mich. vii. 18). Think of thy past days, my soul, 
how often, how repeatedly hast thou offended the 
Holy One! Had He not, then, the power of con- 
demning thee to the eternal pains of hell! Had 



174 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



He not the right to do so? Couldst thou have 
complained if He had given His justice full scope? 
Wouldst thou not have to cry from the depth of 
hell : * ' Thou art just, 0 Lord, and Thy judgment 
is right" {Ps. cxviii. 137). But, no, He has not 
done it. He bore patiently with all thy insults. 
Art thou not, then, thyself a living miracle of the 
mercy of God! Indeed, as many sinners as exist 
upon earth are so many monuments to His mercy. 
* ' He hath not dealt with us according to our sins ; 
nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For 
according to the height of the heavens above the 
earth; He hath strengthened His mercy toward 
them that fear Him" {Ps. cii. 10-11). 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 God, is it possible that Thou hast done so 
much for me and that I have remained ungrate- 
full Is it possible that Thy only begotten Son 
died out of pure mercy a sinner for me ? Couldst 
Thou go to such extremes, even when the con- 
version of a sinner is no gain to Thee ? Ah, then, 
surely Thy mercies exceed all Thy works. If 
Thou didst not destroy me when I offended Thee, 
if Thou didst even pursue me with Thy grace and 
urge me to return when I was resolved to live in 
sin, I trust that Thou wilt pardon me, now that I 
detest my sins with all my heart and resolve to 
return to Thee. But how can I dare to raise my 
eyes to Thee after offending Thee so often? Only 
the remembrance of Thy tender mercies can give 
me confidence. If Thou wilt pardon me I will be 
mindful of Thy goodness and serve Thee with 
gratitude all the days of my life. Oh, how was it 
possible that I should rise up against my God, 
my creator, my redeemer, my sanctifier, and of- 
fend Him in return for all His goodness! A 



THE MERCY OF GOD 



175 



thousand deaths would not make amends for my 
sin, and yet Thou pursuest me with Thy grace. 
Thou constrainest me to return. Ah, henceforth, 
I shall truly live only for Thee. Thy will shall be 
my will, Thy pleasure, my pleasure. My only 
desire shall be to please so good a God. 

Point II 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

To understand the greatness of the mercy of 
God consider, moreover, that the Holy Ghost not 
only receives the sinner with open arms when he 
returns with true repentance, but that He ever 
rewards the sinner with the most precious graces 
and overwhelms him with the sweetest consola- 
tions. Almighty God could, indeed, act otherwise 
at the repentance of a sinner. He could rightly 
impose on him thousands and thousands of years 
of penance. He could subject him to the most 
painful and the most humiliating of penances. 
And if, even under these considerations God 
would pardon man, the angels of heaven would 
still marvel at the extent of the divine mercy. We 
could consider ourselves fortunate to obtain for- 
giveness even at that price and escape the pains 
of hell. God could have demanded even more 
than this ; He could have made a condition of our 
pardon that we die the same painful death that 
His divine Son died for us. He was not bound to 
spare us and sacrifice His Son. But nothing like 
this has happened, ^ ^ For Thy mercy is great above 
the heavens" (Ps. cvii. 5). At the first sigh of 
repentance, as soon as the sinner kneels and con- 
fesses his sins to God's minister, God gives that 
prodigal the kiss of peace and remembers no 
longer his transgressions. He harbors no feeling 



17G THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



of bitterness or revenge toward the sinner. He 
even bestows special graces upon iiim after re- 
moving the stings of conscience. He shows this 
fatherly love even to the greatest of sinners. ^ ^ If 
your sins be as scarlet they shall be made as white 
as snow ; and if they be red as crimson they shall 
be white as wool" (Is, i. 18). The good thief 
after leading a life of sin received pardon and 
paradise. The publican prayed and was forgiven. 

But God even rewards the sinner that is con- 
verted from his ways. He restores to him his 
rights as a child of God and all the merits that he 
had accumulated before his sin. He crowns His 
mercy by inviting the repentant soul to the mystic 
banquet, that love feast, the holy communion, there 
to be nourished and strengthened by the Bread of 
Life. 

Behold, my soul, the extent of the mercy of God. 
Cast thyself, then, with childlike confidence into 
the arms of this merciful Father and exclaim: 
**The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever!" 
(Ps, Ixxxviii. 2) . Indeed, my soul, thou oughtest to 
be grateful for His tender mercy, for going in 
search of thee when thou didst stray away, for 
receiving thee when thou didst return, for for- 
giving thee the entire debt, when He could have 
demanded that thou shouldst die a painful death, 
or endure all manner of suffering during thy life 
to regain His friendship. Eepent, then, of even 
the least imperfection. If thou wilt be faithful 
the few days that yet remain to thee, the Holy 
Spirit will crown thee with a diadem of glory and 
conduct thee to the never-ending joys of heaven 
after death. 



THE MERCY OF GOD 



177 



AFFECTIONS AND PKAYEES 

0 God of mercy, I will not cause Thee to seek 
me any longer. I return to Thee as the prodigal 
returned to his father. I beg only to be allowed 
henceforth to be the lowest of thy faithful serv- 
ants. ^'Father, I have sinned before heaven and 
against Thee ; I no longer deserve to be called Thy 
son.'' Have pity on me. I desire to love Thee 
alone in the future. I desire to live in entire con- 
formity to Thy holy will. I desire to love and 
serve Thee perfectly with Thy help. I desire to 
act only to please Thee, to glorify Thy mercy. 

Resolution 

1 resolve to redouble my love, to avoid the occa- 
sions of sin, to persevere in the service of the God 
of mercy. will praise Thee, 0 Lord, among 
the people ; I will sing a psalm to Thee among the 
nations. For Thy mercy is magnified even to the 
heavens, and Thy truth unto the clouds. Be Thou 
exalted, 0 God above the heavens ; and Thy glory 
above all the earth" {Ps. Ivi. 10-12). ^^0 my 
God ! what mercy hast Thou shown me ! I live en- 
tirely on Thy mercy" — St. Augustine. 

Live, Jesus my love, and Mary my hope. 



OPTIONAL, REFLECTION 

Xuftewarmness 

{From St. Alphonsiis) 

There are two kinds of lukewarmness ; one that 
can be avoided, and the other that can not. We 
can not avoid that kind which, in the present state 
of being, is suffered even by spiritual souls, who. 



178 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



through their natural weakness, can not avoid 
falling, but who, from time to time, without the 
full consent of their will, fall into some light fault. 
From such defect no one is free, because of the 
corruption of our nature through original sin, 
without a most special grace, which was granted 
to none but the Mother of God. God Himself per- 
mits these flaws in His saints in order to keep them 
humble. Often they find themselves without fer- 
vor, wearied and wandering in their devout exer- 
cises, and at such times of dryness they are more 
apt to fall into many defects, at least without 
deliberation. For the rest, they who find them- 
selves in this condition must not leave otf their 
ordinary devotions nor lose courage, nor believe 
that they have fallen into real lukewarmness ; for 
this is not so. Let them go on with their ac- 
customed exercises, let them detest their defects, 
let them often renew their resolutions of giving 
themselves wholly to God, and let them have con- 
fidence in Him, for He will comfort them. 

There is true lukewarmness to be mourned over 
when the soul falls into venial sins with a full 
will, and grieves but little for them, and takes little 
care to avoid them, asserting that they are trifles 
of a moment. What! is it nothing to displease 
God ? St. Teresa said to her nuns, *'My daugh- 
ters, may God deliver you from known sins, how- 
ever small." 

Yet people say that such sins do not deprive us 
of the gi'ace of God. He that says this is in un- 
minent danger of seeing himself one day deprived 
of divine grace, and in a state of mortal sin. St. 
Gregory writes, that whoever falls into deliberate 
venial sins habitually, without feeling pain at it, 
and without thinking of amending himself, does 
not stay just where he has fallen, but goes on 



THE MERCY OF GOD 



179 



headlong over the precipice. ^'The soul never 
lies on the spot where it falls. Mortal diseases 
do not always spring from serious disorders, but 
from slight ones of long continuance ; and thus the 
fall of certain souls into a state of mortal sin is 
often to be attributed to the repetition of venial 
sins, which make the soul so weak, that when it is 
attacked by any powerful temptation it has no 
strength to resist, and so it falls. 

^^He that despiseth little things, by little degrees 
shall he fall. ^ ' He that takes no account of trifling 
falls, will one day find himself upon a precipice. 
The Lord said, ^'Because Thou art lukewarm, I 
am about to vomit thee out of my mouth." This 
signifies that the soul would be abandoned by God, 
or at least deprived of those special aids which are 
necessary to preserve us in a state of grace. Let 
us pay good heed to this. The Council of Trent 
condemns those who say that we can persevere in 
grace without a special help from God; ^^If any 
man shall say that the justified can persevere in 
the justification he has received without the special 
help of God, let him be anathema." Thus, we 
can not persevere in grace without a special ex- 
traordinary help from God; but this special help 
God will justly deny to one who makes no account 
of committing many venial sins with his eyes open. 
Is God bound to give this special help to one who 
thinks nothing of voluntarily causing Him con- 
tinual displeasure? ^^He that sows sparingly 
shall also reap sparingly." If we act grudgingly 
with God, how can we hope that God will act 
bountifully with us? 

Miserable is that soul that is at peace with sin, 
even when the sin is venial ! Such a one will go 
from bad to worse ; for his passions, ever gaining 
strength, easily blind him; and when a man is 



180 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



blind, it is easy for liim to find himself falling 
down a precipice when he least expects it. Let us 
fear to fall into voluntary lukewarmness ; for it 
is like a fever, which does not cause much alarm, 
but is in itself so malignant that it is cured only 
with great difficulty. 

For the rest, though it is very difficult for a 
lukewarm person to amend, yet there are remedies, 
if only he desires amendment. The remedies are : 
(1) a resolution to escape at all costs, from this 
miserable state; (2) the removal of the occasion 
of falling, without which there is no hope of 
amendment; (3) the constant recommendation of 
himself to G-od, with fervent prayer that He may 
give him strength to escape from this deplorable 
condition, continued until he finds himself free. 

O Lord, have mercy upon me ! I see that I have 
deserved to be abandoned by Thee for the many 
defects in the service I offer Thee. Miserable am 
I, for I see myself without love, without confidence, 
and without desire. 0 my Jesus ! abandon me not ; 
stretch forth Thy powerful hand and raise me 
from this depth of lukewarmness in which I see 
that I have fallen. Grant this strength by the 
merits of Thy passion, in which I trust. 0 holy 
Virgin, pray to Jesus for me ! 



OPTIONAL BEADING 

zremptation5 anD Uti^\9 in TReliQion 

(From St. Alplionsiis) 

When any one has entered religion, however 
truly he may be called, and though he may have 
conquered all his passions and his earthly affec- 
tions, let him not imagine that he will be exempt 



THE MERCY OF GOD 



181 



from other temptations and trials, such as tedious- 
nessj darkness, various fears, which God Himself 
will send him, in order to establish him more 
firmly in his vocation. We must remember that 
even the saints who have loved their vocation the 
most have sometimes suffered great darkness with 
regard to it, and that it seemed to them as if they 
were deceived and would not be able to save them- 
selves in that state. So it happened with St. 
Teresa, St. John of the Cross, and St. Jane 
Frances de Chantal. But by recommending them- 
selves to God that darkness was dissipated, and 
they recovered their peace of mind. Thus the 
Lord tries His most beloved children, as it was 
said to Tobias : ^'Because thou wast acceptable to 
God, it was necessary that temptation should 
prove thee." And in the Book of Deuteronomy: 
' ' The Lord your God trieth you, that it may ap- 
pear whether you love Him or no." Let each one, 
therefore, prepare himself to suffer in religion this 
darkness. It will sometimes appear to him that 
he can not bear the observance of the Order ; that 
he will have no more peace of mind, or will not 
even be able to save his soul. But most of all, 
every one must be on his guard when the tempta- 
tion presents specious scruples or pretexts of 
greater spiritual good, in order to make him 
abandon his vocation. 

The principal remedies in such temptations are 
two in number, to have recourse to God and to the 
Superior. 

The first is to have recourse to prayer : ^ ' Go ye 
to Him and be enlightened. ' ' For as it will not be 
possible for temptation to overcome him who has 
recourse to prayer, so he who does not recommend 
himself to God will surely be overcome by it. And 
let it be remarked, that sometimes it will not suf- 



182 THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



fice to have recourse to God once, or for a few 
days, to become victorious. Perhaps the Lord will 
permit the temptation to continue, even after we 
have prayed for several weeks, months, and even 
years ; but let us be assured that he who ceases not 
to recommend himself to God will certainly be en- 
lightened and victorious, and thereafter he will 
have more peace and be more steadfast in his vo- 
cation. Until we have gone through that storm, 
which for the most part comes over all, let none 
of us think himself secure. Let it be remarked, 
however, that in this time of temptation we should 
not expect to have fervor and sufficient clearness 
of reason to tranquilize ourselves, for in the midst 
of this darkness we see nothing but confusion. 
We have nothing, then, to do but to say to God, 
' ' 0 Lord, help me ! 0 Lord, help me ! " and also 
to have frequent recourse to the blessed Virgin 
Mary, who is the mother of perseverance, confiding 
in that divine promise, ^^Ask, and you shall re- 
ceive." And it is certain that he who, with the 
help of divine grace, is victorious in such a com- 
bat, finds afterward a double calm and peace in 
his vocation. 

The second remedy, and a principal and neces- 
sary one in such temptations, is to communicate 
to the Superior, or to our spiritual father, the 
temptation that afflicts us, and this at once, before 
the temptation becomes strong. St. Philip Neri 
said that when a temptation is thus manifested it 
is half vanquished. On the contrary, there is in 
such a case no greater evil than to conceal the 
temptation from Superiors; for then, on the one 
hand, God withdraws His light, because of the 
little fidelity shown by the subject in not disclosing 
it, and, on the other hand, whilst the mine is not 
sprung the temptation gains strength. Hence it 



THE MERCY OF GOD 



183 



may be held for certain, that he will surely lose his 
vocation who, when he is tempted against it, does 
not disclose his temptations. 

Let it be understood that in religion the most 
dangerous temptations that hell can bring against 
us are those against vocation, in which, if it should 
succeed and conquer, by that one stroke it will 
have gained many victories; for when a subject 
has lost his vocation and left religion, what further 
good will he be able to do in the service of God? 
Though the enemy may make him believe that out 
of religion he will have more peace and be able 
to do more good, nevertheless let him hold for cer- 
tain, that as soon as he is out of it he will feel such 
a remorse in his heart that he will never more have 
peace. And God grant that such a remorse may 
not torment him afterward through all eternity 
in hell, in which he who through his own fault loses 
his vocation falls very easily. He will be so luke- 
warm and discouraged in doing good, that he will 
not even have the courage to raise his eyes to 
heaven. It will be an easy thing for him to give 
up prayer altogether, because as often as he be- 
gins it he will feel a hell of remorse, hearing his 
conscience reproach him, saying: ^'What hast 
thou done? thou hast abandoned God; thou hast 
lost thy vocation, and for what? to follow thy own 
caprice. ' ' Let him be certain that he will have to 
hear this reproach through his whole life, and still 
more shall he hear it made to him in the hour of 
his death, when, in sight of eternity, instead of 
dying in the house of God and in the midst of his 
brethren in religion he will have to die among 
strangers. Let Eeligious always beseech God to 
let them die rather than to permit that greatest 
of disgraces, the greatness of which they will 
better understand, to their greater torment, at 



184 THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 

the hour of death, because then there will be no 
more any remedy for their error. For him, then, 
who is tempted against his vocation, this is the best 
meditation that he can make at the time of the 
temptation, that is, namely, to reflect what torment 
the remorse of having lost his vocation, and of 
having to die out of religion, through his caprice, 
through his own fault, will cause him at the hour 
of death. 

Finally, let him who has entered religion resolve 
to become a saint, and to sutf er every exterior and 
interior pain, in order to be faithful to God, and 
not lose his vocation. What a beautiful sight it is 
to see in religion souls wholly given to God, 
who live in the world as if out of the world, 
without any other thought than that of pleasing 
God. 

In religion each one has to live only for eternal 
life. What happiness for us, if we spend these few 
days of our life for God ! And to this he is espe- 
cially obliged who has perhaps already spent much 
of his life in the service of the world. Let us set 
eternity before our eyes, and then we shall suffer 
all with peace and joyfulness. Let us thank God, 
who gave us so much light and so many means to 
serve Him perfectly, since He has chosen us, from 
among so many, to serve Him in religion, having 
bestowed on us the gift of His holy love. Let us 
make haste to please Him in the practice of virtue, 
reflecting as St. Teresa said to her daughters, that 
we have already by His grace done the principal 
thing necessary to become saints, by turning our 
backs on the world and all its goods ; the least yet 
remains to be done, in order that we may be 
saints. ^'I hold it as certain, that for those who 
die in religion Jesus Christ has prepared a promi- 
nent place in paradise." On this earth we shall 



TRUE REPENTANCE 



185 



be poor, despised, and treated as fools, but in the 
other life our lot will be changed. 

Let us always recommend ourselves to our Re- 
deemer hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, and to 
most holy Mary, because in religion all subjects 
must profess a most special love for Jesus in the 
Blessed Sacrament and for the immaculate Virgin 
Mary, and let us have great confidence. Jesus 
Christ has chosen us to be His chosen friends, as 
we may confidently conclude from the protection 
that He extends to all Eeligious Orders, and to 
each member of them. ^'The Lord is my light 
and my salvation ; whom shall I fear ? ' ' 

0 Lord! finish Thy work, and for Thy glory 
grant us to be all Thine, so that all the members 
of Thy Orders may, until the day of judgment, be 
pleasing to Thee, and gain over to Thee an im- 
mense number of souls. Amen. 



SECOND MEDITATION 

3obn ipteacblna at tbe Sorban— Urue 
IRepentance 

Point I 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The Evangelists tell us that John, the son of 
Zachary, was inspired by God to ''prepare the way 
of the Lord." He therefore came into the country 
about the Jordan preaching ''the remission of 
sins." To all that lent him a willing ear he said: 
"Do penance; for the kingdom of heaven is at 
hand" {Matt, iii. 2). The kingdom of heaven con- 
sists in the reign of God over the minds and hearts 
and actions of men. 



186 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



His revelation has been given to direct the minds 
of men to God, the eternal Truth. His grace has 
been poured out upon men to incline their hearts 
to Him, the uncreated beauty and goodness. To 
induce man to direct his actions to God's honor 
and glory, out of love for Him, according to His 
holy will, He has said, ^^I am thy protector and 
thy reward exceeding great" {Gen. xv. 1). By 
sin, man turns away from God. He fills his mind 
with the ignorance, darkness, and error of the 
world. He feeds his heart on the honors, riches, 
and pleasures of life. He submits his daily ac- 
tions to the dominion of the flesh, the world, and 
the devil. Thus man weighs God in the balance of 
his heart, insults and despises Him in His very 
presence, and overwhelms Him with the basest 
ingratitude. 

Before the sinner can, therefore, share in the 
mercies of God, with which the Holy Spirit pur- 
sues him, and become a citizen of the kingdom of 
heaven, he must ^'do penance." The first step 
of a penitent is to acknowledge the error and evil 
of his ways ; the second is to detest the same with 
an upright mind and a sorrowing heart ; the third, 
to return to God, implore His pardon and vow 
fidelity in His service. Thus alone does the sin- 
ner show his practical good will. For, as he 
turned away from God by a perverse use of his 
free will, so now, aided by the Holy Spirit, he 
freely turns from the creature and subjects his 
mind and heart and actions to his God. 

Alas, my soul, the preaching of John the Baptist 
applies more to thee than to the Jews. Thou 
knewest the truths of God better than they. Thou 
hadst stronger motives for loving God and seeking 
His holy will in all things than they. Thou hadst 
received so many graces from the Holy Spirit, 



TRUE REPENTANCE 



187 



and still thou hadst offended God by sin. Even 
after thou hadst been specially favored by the 
God of majesty and goodness, didst thou not de- 
liberately turn away from Him, and give thy mind 
to the vanities of the world, thy heart to the grati- 
fication of self-love, and thy time and energies to 
the empty pleasures of life? Oh, how low hast 
thou fallen ! What injury hast thou done to God ! 
What harm hast thou done to thyself! From a 
citizen of the kingdom of heaven, thou hast become 
an idolater in practice, a subject of ridicule for 
the demons of hell. Do penance, then, do penance, 
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Turn from 
the evil of your ways. *^Turn to the Lord, and 
forsake thy sins" {Ecclus, xvii. 21). Hearken to 
the voice of the Holy Spirit. He encourages thee, 
saying : ^ ^ Turn ye to Me . . . and I will turn 
to you'' {Zach. i. 3). What hast thou gained by 
rebelling against thy Lord and God! Nothing, 
nothing, nothing! Thy mind has been darkened. 
Thou hast lost thy peace of heart. Instead of 
profiting by life, thou hast lost for time and eter- 
nity. Do penance, do penance. Call on the Lord 
while He is nigh. Accept His grace while He of- 
fers it to thee. Work for Him '^whilst it is day. 
The night cometh, when no man can work'' {John 
ix. 4). 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYERS 

0 God, I thank Thee that Thou hast not con- 
demned me to hell as I have deserved by my sins. 
How patient, how long-suffering hast Thou been 
with me in the past! How gracious, how gener- 
ous, how condescending art Thou with me now! 
And I have been so cold, so indifferent toward 
Thee. I have rebelled against Thy sovereign 
majesty and made myself the slave of a creature. 



188 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



I have despised Thee, the infinite good, and erected 
an idol in my heart. I have overwhelmed Thee, 
my benefactor, with the basest kind of ingratitude. 
Canst Thon still forgive me when I knew what I 
was doing ? Ah, great is Thy mercy, greater than 
my sins. I now see the error of my ways. I de- 
test my sins with all my heart. I am sorry for 
them because thereby I have turned away from 
heaven and condemned myself to hell. I detest 
them especially because they have displeased 
Thee, the infinite good. Thou sayest, ''Turn to 
Me, and I will turn to you. ' ' Turn to me, then, O 
God of love and mercy. For behold, I return to 
Thee, never to leave Thee. I resolve to be faith- 
ful to Thee. Gladly will I henceforth suffer 
everything to prove my love and gratitude. 

Point II 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

"Bring forth, therefore, fruits worthy of pen- 
ance," said John to the people of his day. ''For 
now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every 
tree, therefore, that bringeth not forth good fruit 
shall be cut down and cast into the fire" {Luke 
iii. 8, 9). This warning of St. John the Baptist 
applies with special force to the Eeligious of our 
day. For, "unto whomsoever much is given, of 
him much shall be required" {Luke xii. 48). Be- 
sides, Holy Scripture teaches that there is a 
measure of sin beyond which God will not pardon. 
"Thou hast ordered all things in measure and 
number and weight" {Wis. xi. 21). For, though 
God is infinitely merciful, the human heart can not 
receive an infinite mercy. If the sinner, there- 
fore, neglects to bring forth fruits worthy of pen- 
ance, the Saviour may say to him as He said to 



TRUE REPENTANCE 



189 



the barren fig-tree : ^ ' May no fruit grow on thee 
henceforward forever'' (Matt. xxi. 19). The 
fruits worthy of penance, which God expects from 
an heir to the kingdom of heaven, are: (1) an 
honest examination of conscience; (2) an upright 
confession ; (3) a radical amendment of life. How 
many persons habitually delude themselves ! They 
never go to the root of the evil. They confess 
their sins again and again, but they never amend 
their lives. What a revelation it will be for them 
wlien they appear before the judgment seat of 
God ! Too late will they then understand that say- 
ing of the great St. Francis Assisi : "What I am in 
the sight of God, that I am, and nothing more ! ' ' 
Others with greater malice never reduce their good 
resolutions to practice. They leave not only their 
sins but also their purpose of amendment in the 
confessional. Are these fruits worthy of penance? 
Is this not a barren tree? 

^ ' 0 my soul, judge thyself, that thou mayest not 
be judged" (1 Cor. xi. 31). See what fruits worthy 
of penance thou hast brought forth. Hast thou 
really been in earnest about thy conversion? Hast 
thou carefully examined into thy transgressions? 
Hast thou been as careful about remedying the 
cause of thy relapse as thou hast been to confess 
the number of thy imperfections? Hast thou 
really dug round the root of thy predominant pas- 
sion and applied a practical purpose of amend- 
ment? Or hast thou been committing and con- 
fessing the same sins over and over again without 
any effort to amend, or even without any actual 
purpose of amendment? Lay the axe, then, to the 
root of the evil, lest thou be cut down and cast 
into the fire. Examine thy conscience seriously. 
Confess thy sins honestly. Then concentrate thy 
energies on amending thy life and making atone- 



190 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



ment for thy sins. The evidence of true repent- 
ance is the fruit worthy of penance, heartfelt sor- 
row for the past, vigilance and generosity in the 
present, and a firm determination for the fu- 
ture. 

0 my God, I am filled with confusion when I 
think of my negligence in bringing forth fruits 
worthy of penance. I have broken my promises 
so often that I fear I may have almost ex- 
hausted my measure of grace. Oh, do not say 
^ ' thy sins are numbered. Thou art weighed in the 
balance and found wanting." Give me one more 
opportunity. I place my hopes in the merits of 
my Saviour. ''He came to heal the contrite of 
heart" {Is. Ixi. 1). ^'I know that I have reason to 
fear about sins forgiven" {Ecchis. v. 5). But I 
am sorry for all. ''My sin is always before me" 
(Ps. 1. 5). I detest my sins with all my heart. I 
have confessed them. I will do penance for them 
all the days of my life. I would rather die than 
ever offend Thee again. "Have mercy on me, 0 
God, according to Thy great m.ercy" {Ps. 1. 1). I 
desire to serve Thee with a generous heart. Let 
me see the dangers that threaten me. Then give 
me the good will, the strength, and the persever- 
ance to bring forth fruits worthy of penance" 
{Luke iii. 8). 

Resolution 

1 resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to do pen- 
ance for the sins of the past, to watch over my 
heart, and to use the means to persevere in Thy 
service until death. I know I must overcome all 
to gain all. Oh, that I could die of grief every 
time I think of having voluntarily lost Thee. 6 
loving Heart of Jesus, inflame this poor heart of 
mine. 0 Mary, my Mother! again I beg of thee, 



TRUE REPENTANCE 



191 



make me all for Jesus. Thou canst do so ; I hope 
for it from thee. 

Ube Science of Self^mnowlebge 

A. Influence of the Spirit Woeld 

^'You know not of what spirit you are'^ {Luke 
ix. 55), said Our Saviour one day to His disciples. 
He could say the same to many Eeligious of our 
day. ' ' The discerning of spirits ' ' is indeed a gift 
of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. xii. 10). Still, reason 
can discover many things. Then, prayer procures 
for us the light of the Holy Spirit. By diligence 
and prayer, therefore, a generous, willing soul can 
gradually see herself as God sees her. The fol- 
lowing rules, formulated by the experience of ages, 
will aid us to acquire this knowledge of ourselves : 

1. Whatever quiets the conscience of the habit- 
ual sinner or the person in danger of sin comes 
from Satan. 

2. On the other hand, whatever disquiets the 
conscience of such persons is the work of the Holy 
Spirit. 

3. Scruples and anxiety, in those making an 
honest effort, come from Satan. 

4. Fervor and zeal in the same is the work of 
the Holy Spirit. 

5. Spiritual consolation is that interior peace 
and happiness of the soul which prompts it to ad- 
vance in self-denial and the love of God. 

6. Spiritual desolation is that interior trial of 
the soul in which the light of grace is wanting, and 
the soul is inclined by the evil one to sadness and 
despondency. 

7. It is imprudent to change that rule of life 



192 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



during spiritual desolation which we have formed 
during the time of spiritual consolation. 

8. By prayer, penance, and self-denial the soul 
should try to be at peace in time of spiritual deso- 
lation. In severe desolation St. Teresa prefers 
work to supererogatory prayer. 

9. God permits spiritual desolation to try our 
virtue and good will. 

10. Patience in the present and hope in the fu- 
ture are necessary in spiritual desolation. 

11. Spiritual despondency has a threefold 
cause: (a.) Tepidity and laziness in our devo- 
tions, (b.) The intention of God to try us. (c.) 
The intention of God to make us realize our utter 
dependance on Him. 

12. In time of consolations prepare for the trial 
of spiritual desolation. 

13. In time of consolation the soul should exer- 
cise herself in humility and contempt of self. 

14. If we despise and resist Satan manfully, he 
loses courage and departs. 

15. If we fear him and hesitate, Satan becomes 
the worst of tyrants. 

16. Satan hates detection ; if we reveal our trials 
to our spiritual adviser, he desists. 

17. Satan generally attacks the soul through her 
predominant passion. 

18. The grace of God always brings peace; 
Satan brings confusion and sadness. 

19. God can give peace without any interven- 
ing natural course. 

20. When a natural reason precedes conso- 
lation, this may come from God from merely 
natural causes, or from Satan. 

21. Satan tries to bring the pious soul to de- 
struction by imprudent piety. 

22. If the beginning, continuance, and end of 



TRUE REPENTANCE 



193 



our thoughts are good, the thought comes from 
God. 

23. If our thoughts seem good but lead to evil, 
they come from the evil one. 

24. If Satan has once deceived you, it is well 
to examine his work of deception and thereby 
guard yourself against a repetition. 

25. The soul progressing in virtue is led peace- 
fully by God, while Satan's action is violent. 

26. The soul that has fallen into sin is left in 
peace by Satan but God gives her no rest. 

27. The inspirations of grace harmonize with 
faith and common-sense ; not so those of Satan. 

B. Knowledge of Self 

To obtain a correct knowledge of ourselves we 
must examine: 

1. The principles that actuate us. 

2. The actions we have performed. 

THE PKINCIPLES OF ACTION 

I. Our natural or acquired inclinations. 

II. The impulse of grace. 

III. The temptations of Satan. 

IV. The influence of others. 

I. Natural or Acquired Inclinations 

1. In Eegard to Ourselves: 

a. Selfishness, which always seeks its own. 
h. Pride, vanity, self-esteem, and self-com- 
placency. 

c. Sensuality, which desires all that grati- 

fies the senses. 

d. Love of ease and comfort, which shuns 

exertion and work. 



194 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



2. In Eegard to Our Neighbors : 

a. Coldness and negligence toward them. 
h. A spirit of contempt and ridicule. 

c, A love of power over them, which will 

not be contradicted. 

d. Cunning, envy, want of confidence, 

malice, desire of doing harm. 

3. In Regard to God : 

a. Want of confidence, servile fear, which 

leads to negligence. 
h, Half-heartedness, which divides the heart 

between God and the world. 

c. Self-complacency, which gives honor to 

self in place of to God. 

d. Too great activity and imprudent zeal. 

4. In Regard to Faults Committed: 

a. The slothful soul is easily discouraged. 
h. The sensualist consoles himself with the 
hope of pardon. 

c. The proud soul gives way to momentary 

grief, which is passionate, but eventu- 
ally likes to blame God for its fault. 

d. The self-interested soul grows sad, 

dreamy, and melancholy. 

77. The Impulse of Grace 
(To avoid evil and do good.) 

1. Manifests itself in our conversion. 

2. It works on nature and perfects it. 

3. It draws us to prayer and the practice of 
virtue. 



TRUE REPENTANCE 195 

///. The Temptations of Satan 
(To avoid good and to do evil) 

1. He makes use of our pride and want of 
faith to fill the mind with error, and with false 
principles and maxims. 

2. He intensifies our inclination to evil, and 
disgusts us with good. 

3. He tempts us: 

a. By representing the evil as good. 
h. By inciting the passions to evil. 

4. He usually tempts us to: 

a. Sensuality and enjoyment. 
h. Negligence and carelessness. 
c. Disquiet and confusion. 

5. He sometimes tempts us to: 
a. Despair. 

h. Hatred of God. 
c. Blasphemy. 

IV, The Influence of Our Neighbor 
(It may be for good or evil.) 

1. By their good or evil example. 

2. By their good or evil advice. 

3. By their good or evil co-operation. 

THE EFFECTS PEODUCED BY THESE PRINCIPLES 

I. The dispositions of the heart. 
II. Distractions of the mind. 

III. Doubts about action. 

IV. Words that determine us to action when in 

doubt. 

a. Between nature and grace. 
h. Between good and evil. 



196 THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 

I. The Dispositions of the Heart 

1. In peace or in unrest these indicate its in- 
clinations. 

2. These inclinations easily recognized when 
acting spontaneously, e. g.\ 

a. At prayer. 
At recreation. 

c. At meals. 

d. While traveling, i, e., in unusual sur- 
roundings. 

3. Also recognized from the first impulses we 
experience. 

4. Likewise from the inclination of our hearts. 
a. On awakening. 

During conversation. 
c. To what it frequently reverts during the 
day. 

77. Distractions of the Mind 

1. A wandering of the imagination to indif- 
ferent subjects. 

2. Those that engage our hearts and reveal its 
inclination. 

777. Doubts about Action 
We doubt whether under certain circumstances : 

1. We should act or remain passive. 

2. We should speak or remain silent. 

3. We should gratify or deny ourselves, etc. 

If we never doubt about our perfection we are 
dominated by self-love. 



TRUE REPENTANCE 



197 



IV. Words That Determine Us to Action When 
in Doubt 

1. For good and virtuous deeds ; 

a. The beginner says; '^You must become 

used to it," etc. 
h. The more proficient: ''It is my duty." 
c. The perfect : ' ' God deserves it. ' ' 

2. For evil: 

a. In mortal sin: *'I can't help it." ''The 
temptation is too great," etc. 
In venial sin: "It's only a trifle." 
"I'll make it all right." 

c. The selfish person says: "I need it." 
"God is not so exacting." 

3. These deciding words indicate: 

a. The motion of grace and of our predomi- 

nant passion. 

b. The degree of virtue or of vice we have 

attained. 

c. That it is easier to overcome our faults 

than we imagine. 

C. Annual Interior Examination 

Without self-knowledge there can be no great 
progress. It is customary for Religious, there- 
fore, to make a special examination of their in- 
terior at the time of their annual retreat. The 
examination of conscience in preparation for a 
holy confession relates to sinful acts and habits. 
The examination of the interior should be more 
thorough. It regards not only sin but also the 
inclinations, passions, principles of actions, and 
desires that engender, prompt, and stimulate the 
actions of the soul. 



198 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



I. GENEEAL SUEVEY 

1. Eeview the preceding truths. 

2. They reveal the roots of good and of evil 
actions and inclinations. 

3. They also manifest the cause of our tempta- 
tions and trials. 

II. GENERAL QUESTIONS 

Is your present state satisfactory ! If not, why 
not? Have you progressed in virtue or receded? 
What particular virtue have you acquired since 
your last examination? What particular fault 
have you eradicated ? Has your desire of perfec- 
tion increased or diminished? Are you more at- 
tached to your vocation? Are you more generous 
in making sacrifices? Are you more fervent? 
more punctual? more united to God? Have you 
acquired greater facility in your spiritual exer- 
cises? Are you faithful to your meditations and 
examinations of conscience? 

III. PAETICULAE QUESTIONS 

1. Sins. — Are they fewer? less deliberate? Do 
you perceive them better? Do you bear correc- 
tions better? Have you greater sorrow? a firmer 
purpose of amendment? 

2. Passions. — Can you control them with 
gTeater ease and less internal disturbance? Do 
you overcome temptations more efficaciously? 
Have you diminished your bad habits? 

3. Virtues. — Are 3'ou more fervent and do you 
experience less repugnance in obedience, humil- 
ity, charity, piety, mortification? Do you experi- 
ence greater ease where sacrifices are required? 
Do you find virtue as easy when alone as in the 
presence of others? 



TRUE REPENTANCE 



199 



4. Crosses. — Do you bear them easily? or do 
you complain? Is your repugnance less wilful! 
Are you less anxious to escape them I Are you 
resigned to superiors 1 to incompatible associates ? 

5. Love of God. — Do you find it easy to work 
solely for the glory of God, out of love for Him, 
according to His holy will? Have you greater 
facility in speaking to God? Do you experience 
less weariness in prayer? Do you realize the 
necessity of prayer? Are you more recollected? 
Have you greater desire for holy communion? 
Do you find it easier to give up all for love of 
God? 

6. Exercises of Piety. — Do you perform them 
perfectly? Do you allow voluntary distractions? 
or habitual dissipation? Are you pre-occupied 
with your work? 

IV. FURTHER QUESTIONS. 

1. Meditation. — Has it engaged your thoughts 
in the preceding evening and in the morning? 
Have you prepared for it ? Do you form particu- 
lar resolutions for the day? Do you renew them? 

2. Holy Mass. — Do you assist with devotion? 
Have you a particular intention? Do you always 
make a spiritual communion? 

3. Confession. — Do you go through routine? 
Do you devote too much time and attention to the 
examination of conscience? Are you wanting in 
contrition? In amendment? 

4. Holy Communion. — Have you always pre- 
pared for it? Do you make the immediate acts 
with fervor? Do you always make some offering 
of self-denial to Our Lord? Do you make your 
thanksgiving well? 

5. Prayer. — Do you pray with attention, rec- 



200 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



ollection, and devotion I with confidence? Are 
you in the habit of renewing your good intention 
frequently! Do you often raise your mind and 
heart to God by means of holy aspirations and 
affections ! 

6. Blessed Sacrament. — Have you a lively 
faith in it 1 Are you recollected, grave, and mod- 
est in the chapel? Do you visit your Lord in this 
sacrament of His love? 

7. The Blessed Virgin. — Do you esteem and 
love her ? Have you a childlike confidence in her ? 
Do you have recourse to her in all your diffi- 
culties? 

8. Eegular Observance. — Do you observe the 
Eule punctually? exactly? promptly? in a spirit 
of faith? Do you keep silence in the places and 
at times prescribed? Have you scandalized 
others by talking or otherwise violating the rules? 
Have you been faithful to your work? Have you 
wasted any time? Have you prepared well for 
your work? 

9. Toward Superiors and Associates. — Have 
you looked on them in a spirit of faith? Have 
you obeyed simply, promptly? Have you criti- 
cized them? and that publicly? Have you been 
sincere with your superiors? Have you been 
kind and charitable in thought, word, deed? 
Have you given way to sentimental friendships? 
Have you always been modest? Have you given 
good example? 

10. Care of Perfection. — Have you been seri- 
ous about it? Have you observed the spirit and 
the letter of your holy Eule? Have you observed 
your vows? and practised the corresponding vir- 
tues? Do you limit yourself with what is merely 
necessary? Have you given no liberty to your 
thoughts and imaginations? Have you made 



TRUE REPENTANCE 



201 



progress in mortification? Have you given way 
to sensuality or manners at meals? Have you 
advanced in humility 1 Have you combatted your 
ruling passion! Controlled your temper? Made 
your particular examen well? What is keeping 
you from making more progress? Have you an 
honest, generous good will? 



OPTIONAL REFLECTIOIT 

Sentiments of Sorrow anD HmenDment 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

My Jesus, by that hatred which Thou hadst 
for my sins in the Garden of Gethsemani, give me 
true sorrow for all the offences that I have com- 
mitted against Thee. 0 my accursed sins, I hate 
and detest you ; you have made me lose the grace 
of God. I repent, my Jesus, for having turned 
my back upon Thee. Would that I had suffered 
any evil, rather than ever have offended Thee. 

Ah, my sweet Redeemer, when I remember all 
the displeasure that I have given Thee, I do not 
weep so much on account of the hell I have de- 
served, as on account of the love Thou hast borne 
me! Yes; because the fire of hell which I have 
deserved is not so great as the immense love that 
Thou hast shown me in Thy passion and death. 
And how is it, 0 God, that, knowing this. Thou, 
my Lord, didst allow Thyself to be bound for me, 
scourged for me, spit upon for me, hanged upon 
a cross to die for me — how is it that I could have 
so often despised Thy grace and turned my back 
upon Thee? I repent, and I am sorry above all 
things. Oh, that I could die of grief! 

I know the evil that I have done in separating 



202 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



myself from Thee, my sovereign good. I ought 
to have suffered any pain, any evil, any death, 
rather than to offend Thee ; and what greater evil 
could I commit than that of voluntarily losing 
Thy grace? Ah, my Jesus, my greatest affliction 
is that I have despised Thy infinite goodness. 

I thank Thee, my Lord, for the sweet promise of 
pardon that Thou hast made to sinners, forgetting 
the sins of those who repent of having offended 
Thee. ^^I will not remember any of their in- 
iquities.'' It is all the fruit of Thy passion. 0 
sweet passion ! 0 sweet mercy ! 0 sweet love of 
Jesus Christ, Thou art my hope. What would 
have become of me, my Jesus, if Thou hadst not 
died, and paid the debt of my sins ! 

0 God, I thought of offending Thee, whilst 
Thou didst think of nothing but mercy toward 
me! After my sins I thought not of repenting; 
but Thou didst still think to call me. Finally, I 
have done all in my power to procure my own 
damnation; and Thou hast done all Thou couldst 
to save me from being damned. Thou art, then, 
an infinite good, and I have despised Thee ; Thou 
art my Lord, and I have lost the respect due to 
Thee; Thou art infinite goodness, and I have 
turned my back upon Thee; Thou art worthy of 
infinite love, and hast loved me so much, and I 
have refused Thee my love, and displeased Thee 
so often. But Thou hast said that Thou canst 
not despise a heart that humbles itself and re- 
pents. Behold, I embrace Thy cross as a peni- 
tent; I repent with all my heart, for having dis- 
pleased Thee. Keceive me to Thy favor, for the 
sake of that blood which Thou hast shed for me. 

0 Mary, hope of sinners, do thou obtain pardon 
for me, perseverance and the love of Jesus Christ! 

My Jesus, I love Thee, and firmly resolve to lose 



TRUE REPENTANCE 



203 



all rather than forfeit Thy grace. I am weak, but 
Thou art strong. Thy strength will make me 
strong against my enemies. This I hope through 
Thy passion. 

^^The Lord is my delight and my salvation, 
whom shall I fearf I fear not, 0 crucified 
Lord, to lose my possessions, my dear ones, or 
even my life; I fear only to lose Thy friendship 
and Thy love. I am afraid that I may displease 
Thee, and so may see myself deprived of Thy 
grace. I pray Thee to keep alive in me this holy 
love; help me to conquer all, that I may please 
Thee in everything. 

Most sweet Jesus, never permit me to be sep- 
arated from Thee. I am the work of Thy hands ; 
I have been redeemed by Thy blood; do not 
abandon me to the misfortune of losing Thy love, 
and of separating myself from Thee. Assist me 
always in the dangers which shall befall me, and 
make me ever have recourse to Thee and live 
alone for Thee during the remainder of my life; 
do Thou give me the necessary strength. This I 
hope from Thee. 

My Jesus, increase in me the fear of displeasing 
Thee. I am horrified at my former treachery to 
Thee. But Thy merits console me ; and the many 
graces that Thou hast given me make me hope 
that Thou wilt not abandon me, now that I love 
Thee, since Thou hast shown me so much mercy 
while I thought not of loving Thee. I do not 
trust in my own strength — I know well how little 
it is worth. I confide altogether in Thy goodness, 
and I firmly hope nevermore to see myself sep- 
arated from Thee. 

Oh, that I could be assured that I should never 
lose Thee again, and that I should always love 
Thee! But I resign myself to Thy divine will, 



204 THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



whicli so disposes and ordains for my good that 
I should live always in this uncertainty till death, 
to make me strive after a closer union with Thee, 
and to pray always, ' ' Permit me nevermore to be 
separated from Thee." Yes, my Jesus, I repeat 
it (and give me the grace always to repeat it) : 
*'Let me never be separated from Thee! Let me 
never be separated from Thee!" 

My Redeemer, I will no more depart from Thee. 
If all men should leave Thee, I will not leave 
Thee, even if it should cost me my life. I protest 
that even if there was neither a heaven nor a hell, 
I would not leave off loving Thee, because Thou, 
my love, art worthy of infinite love, though there 
should he no reward for those who love Thee, 
nor any punishment for those who love Thee 
not. 

Oh, if the years of my past life were to return, 
I would spend them all in loving Thee ! But they 
will never return. I thank Thee for having waited 
for me, and for not having sent me to hell as I 
deserved. And since Thou hast waited for me, 
I consecrate the rest of my life to Thee; I wish 
that all my thoughts, my desires, and my affec- 
tions should serve only to please Thee, and to 
fulfil Thy holy will. 

My beloved Jesus, I will not wait to embrace 
Thee until Thou shalt be given to me at the hour 
of death. I embrace Thee now, and press myself 
closely to Thy pierced feet. My crucified love, 
to obtain for me a good death, Thou hast conde- 
scended to die most sorrowfully and painfully. 
At that hour, when every one will abandon me, 
do not Thou leave me, my Redeemer; permit me 
not to lose Thee, or to separate myself from Thee. 
Receive me into Thy sacred wounds, and may my 
soul there breathe itself out in loving sighs, that 



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205 



it may come where Thou art, to love Thee for- 
ever. 

PAETICULAR EXAMINATION 

©n patience in follomng tbe 1boli^ Spirit 

Do I realize : 

That the knowledge of self is humiliating to 

my pride? 
That it is distasteful to my self-love. 
That Satan tries to depreciate its value ! 
That nature rebels against it? 
That patience to learn it is therefore very 

necessary 1 

Have I generously subjected myself to the 

guidance of the Holy Spirit? 
Have I courageously followed His impulse? 
Have I patiently studied my interior? 
Do I know my predominant passion? 
Have I resolved to become a saint ? 
Say an act of contrition for faults, and one of 
thanksgiving for graces. Strive for patient resig- 
nation to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

THIRD MEDITATION 
5esu5 ©ur Gmbe 

Point I 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The divine Saviour is that teacher who in- 
structs man in all that is necessary in regard to 
his destiny, his future, his duties, and the way 
of perfection. Man should, therefore, hear Him 
and make His doctrine and admonitions the 



206 THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



foundation of his daily life, the principle of his 
thoughts, judgments, and actions. Many teachers 
and guides appear upon earth. Man's reason 
would guide him independently of divine revela- 
tion, but that in many things is fallible and liable 
to err. Man's heart, with its vain desires, would 
advise and direct him, but it, too, is a false 
prophet, a deceitful teacher, a guide that has 
ruined thousands. Finally, a godless world with 
its alluring maxims offers its service to man, and 
yet a worse guide could not be found. All these 
man can not consult if he wishes to find the true 
way. There is but one true guide — Jesus Christ, 
whom the Holy Ghost has given us. '^One is 
your Master, Christ" {Matt, xxiii. 10). 

This Teacher, this Guide, possesses all the quali- 
ties that captivate the heart of man. (1) He 
knows the way with infallible certainty. He can 
not err, He can not be deceived. Whoever follows 
His teachings has nothing to fear. (2) He is a 
teacher who looks only to man's welfare, whose 
only desire is to make man happy. (3) Finally, 
He is a master who knows how to imbue man 
more and more with His doctrine, and to make it 
continually more sweet to those who hold it. The 
principles and doctrines of this teacher at first 
seem difficult, but He understands how to fill 
man's life with heavenly consolation according to 
His principles. 

It is required of every Christian that he look 
upon Christ as his model and exemplar. What- 
ever Our Saviour has laid down as a rule of life. 
He exemplifies and substantiates in His own life. 
This is, indeed, that true Shepherd, who, ^'when 
He hath led out His own sheep. He goeth before 
them; and the sheep follow Him, because they 
know His voice" {John x. 4). 



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207 



My soul, thou art upon earth to honor, love, and 
serve almighty God. If, then, thou askest the 
Holy Spirit what guide to follow through life, if 
thou sayest, ''Lord, what wilt Thou have me doT' 
(Acts ix. 6) He will point to Jesus and say, ''Hear 
ye Him." To hear Jesus, to make His teaching 
the principle of thy daily life, the rule of thy 
thoughts, judgments, and actions, to decide every- 
thing according to His teaching — this is the first 
thing that the Holy Ghost demands of thee if 
thou desirest to live the life of a Christian. 

Keason alone can not guide thee to thy exalted 
destiny. "For there is a way which seemeth just 
to man; but the ends thereby lead to death" 
(Prov, xiv. 12). Thy heart with its foolish de- 
sires can not guide thee, "For the wisdom of the 
flesh is death . . . because the wisdom of the 
flesh is an enemy to God" {Rom, viii. 6-7). The 
world can not guide thee, for, as St. Paul says, 
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the 
prudence of the prudent I will reject. Where is 
the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the 
disputer of the world? Hath not God made fool- 
ish the wisdom of this world?" (1 Cor, i. 19, 20). 
And again, "the wisdom of this world is foolish- 
ness with God" (1 Cor. iii. 19). Let Jesus be thy 
guide, my soul. He says, speaking of His Fa- 
ther: "The things I have heard of Him, these 
same I speak in the world" {John viii. 26). And 
again, "Heaven and earth shall pass, but My 
words shall not pass" {Matt, xxiv. 35). Indeed, 
"Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to 
my paths" {Ps, cxviii. 105). If thou acceptest 
His guidance, my soul, "Then shalt thou walk 
confidently in thy way, and thy foot shall not 
stumble. ' ' 



208 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEKS 

^^I thank Thee, 0 Father, Lord of heaven and 
earth, because Thou hast hidden these things from 
the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to 
the little ones'' {Luke xi. 21). ^^I know whom I 
have believed" (2 Tim. i. 11). I thank Thee, then, 
for having brought me to the knowledge of this 
true guide. I shall never be of the number of those 
who repel His teaching and exclaim: ^'This say- 
ing is hard, and who can hear itf" {John vi. 61.) 
I will endeavor to go deeper and deeper into the 
teaching of Jesus Christ. I will try to regulate 
my daily life in accordance with His teaching. 
His teaching shall suffice for me, no matter what 
others say. I will learn all virtues from this 
divine model. I will learn of Him to be meek and 
humble of heart, to love my enemies, to do good 
to them that revile and persecute me. I will 
gladly renounce all to become His disciple. 

Point II 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Man's life upon earth is a warfare" {Job vii. 
1). In this battle of life the Holy Spirit demands 
that Christians fight under the standard with the 
weapons of Christ. Man must fight the same 
enemies that Jesus vanquished. He must fight 
against the devil, the arch enemy of God. He 
must fight against the world, which ignores God 
in its maxims and draws souls from God by its 
gratifications. Man must fight against his own 
depraved nature, which is in league with the 
world and the devil, and is his own greatest foe, 
because it is an internal enemy. Does not the 
Saviour say: ^'Now is the judgment of the 
world; now shall the prince of this world be cast 



JESUS OUR GUIDE 



209 



out" {John xii. 31). ^'If a stronger than he come 
upon him and overcome him, he will take away 
all his armor wherein he trusted, and will dis- 
tribute his spoils'' {Luke xi. 22). ^'Have con- 
fidence, I have overcome the world" {John xvi. 
33). 

If man meet these enemies of his salvation with 
the sword of prayer and the shield of divine truth, 
having girt on the armor of poverty, humility, 
self-denial, patience, and generosity, God will 
fight his battles for him as He fought for the 
Israelites of old, and conquer all his enemies. 

Behold, then, my soul, the great leader under 
whose experienced direction thou canst easily 
overcome any foe. He has given thee the benefit 
of His example. He has gone before Thee. He 
has triumphed over sin and death. He has con- 
quered the flesh, the world, and the devil. Use 
the means that He employed and thou will be in- 
vincible. Christ overcame His enemies by prayer. 
This is the great, the universal remedy of every 
true follower of Jesus Christ. He conquered the 
world with its alluring riches by holy poverty. 
^ ' He had not wherein to lay His head. ' ' He freely 
renounced the infinite riches of heaven to lead a 
life of absolute poverty on earth. He triumphed 
over the vain applause of the world by profound 
humility and despising all earthly things. He 
overcame its persecutions by silence and uncon- 
querable patience. He triumphed over the 
pleasures of the world by leading a life of toil and 
labor. Behold, then, my soul, thy weapons. Use 
them as thy Master used them and thou wilt be 
sure of a triumphal entry and a crown of glory 
in heaven. Prayer, faith, detachment, humility, 
patience, penance, and self-denial, these are thy 
weapons. 



210 THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



AFFECTIONS AND PRAYEES 

0 God of goodness, I thank Thee with all my 
heart for the great blessings Thou hast conferred 
upon me. Especially do I thank Thee for having 
given me so exalted a model, so great a leader. 
No matter how my enemies attack me, I will not 
fear. In all my trials Thou wilt be my strength. 
In all attacks I will recall to mind that I am a 
soldier of Jesus Christ. I will look to my divine 
model and learn from Him to triumph over all 
my enemies. I regret that I have been so negli- 
gent, but in the future I shall be a true soldier of 
Jesus Christ. I serve under the greatest leader 
the world has ever seen. The King of kings is 
my lord. Him will I serve all the days of my life. 

Resolution 

Yes, my Jesus, I resolve to be faithful in Thy 
service unto my dying breath, to reproduce Thy 
actions in my daily life. ^'0 my divine Master, 
I know that Thou art come a teacher from God" 
(John iii. 2). ^^I will follow Thee whithersoever 
Thou Shalt go" (Matt. viii. 19). ''Thy word is 
a lamp to my feet and a light to my paths. I 
have sworn and am determined to keep the judg- 
ments of Thy justice" {Ps. cxviii. 105-6). My 
Jesus, assist a soul that ardently desires to follow 
Thy guidance. 0 great mother of God, Mary, beg 
of Jesus to make me belong entirely to Him. 

OPTIONAL EEFLECTION 

©n Confluence in Jesus Cbd6t 

(From St. AlpJionsus) 

Wonderfully great is the mercy of Jesus Christ 
to us, but for our greater good He desires that 



JESUS OUR GUIDE 



211 



we should put our trust in His mercy, with a lively 
confidence trusting in His merits and His prom- 
ises. Therefore St. Paul recommends us to 
preserve this confidence, saying that it has a 
great reward from God. And therefore, when 
a fear of the divine judgment seems to diminish 
this confidence in us, we ought to drive it away, 
and say to ourselves, as Dr. Mattei writes, **My 
heart, dost thou tremble I Knowest thou not how 
to hope! Banish thy fear, and tremble not. Why 
wilt thou trouble me 1 Hope in the Lord, that we 
may one day sing His praise and glory.'' 

The Lord revealed to St. Gertrude that our con- 
fidence so constrains Him that He can not possibly 
refuse to hear us in everything we seek of Him. 
The same thing was said by St. John Climacus: 
^'Prayer exerts a holy violence upon God." 
Every prayer offered with confidence, as it were, 
forces God to hear, but this force is acceptable 
and pleasing to Him. Therefore St. Bernard 
writes that the divine mercy is like a vast foun- 
tain, to which he who brings a larger vessel of 
confidence will receive a larger abundance of 
graces. And this is according to what the Psalm- 
ist wrote, ^^Let Thy mercy be upon us, 0 Lord, 
according as we have put our trust in Thee." 

God has declared that He protects and saves all 
who trust in Him. Let them, then, rejoice. David 
said, ^^All who hope in Thee, my God, shall be 
blessed forever, and Thou wilt ever dwell in 
them. ' ' The same prophet said, ^ ' Mercy is round 
about all who trust in God." He that trusts in 
God shall ever be so circled and guarded around, 
that he is safe from all danger of perishing. Oh, 
what great promises the Holy Scriptures make 
to those who trust in God! Do we feel lost 
through our sins? Behold the remedy at hand! 



212 THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



Let us go with confidence, says the Apostle, to the 
feet of Jesns Christ, and there we shall fi^d par- 
don. Let us not wait to go to Jesus Christ until 
He sits upon His throne of judgment; let us 
hasten at once, while He sits on His throne of 
grace. 

But, says the sinner, I do not deserve to be 
heard, if I beg for pardon. But I reply, though 
you do not deserve your confidence in the divine 
mercy will obtain grace for you; for this pardon 
is not dependent upon your merits, but upon the 
divine promise to pardon those who repent; and 
this it is which J esus Christ says, ' ' Every one that 
seeketh receiveth ; ' ' that is, ^ ^ every one, ' ' whether 
just or unjust, if they pray with confidence. 

Whatsoever things ye seek, when ye pray, be- 
lieve that ye shall receive them, and they shall be 
given to you. ' ' 

Whosoever, then, fears that through infirmity 
he shall fall again into his old sins, let him trust 
in God, and he shall not fall; as the Prophet as- 
sures us, ^^All that hope in Him shall not fail.'' 
Isaias says that they who hope in the Lord renew 
their strength. Let us, then, be strong and un- 
wavering in our confidence, because God had 
promised, as St. Paul says, to protect all who hope 
in Him, and when anything seems especially diffi- 
cult to overcome, then let us say, can do all 
things in Him who strengtheneth me" (Philipp. 
iv. 13). Yet let us not go about seeking some con- 
stant sensible confidence, palpable to our feelings ; 
it is enough if we have the will to trust. This is 
true confidence, the will to trust in God, because 
He is good, and desirous to help us, and powerful. 
He can help us. He is faithful, and has promised 
to help us. Above all, let us strengthen ourselves 
with the promise made by Jesus Christ : ' ' Amen, 



JESUS OUR GUIDE 



213 



Amen, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask 
the Father in My name. He will give it you/' 
Thus let us seek grace from God, through the 
merits of Jesus Christ, and we shall obtain what 
we desire. 

0 eternal God! I know that I am poor in all 
things; I can do nothing, I have nothing, save 
what comes to me from Thy hands; all I can say 
to Thee is. Lord, have mercy upon me. My 
misery is, that to my poverty I have added the 
sin of having answered Thy graces with the sins 
I have committed against Thee. But, notwith- 
standing, I would hope from Thy mercy this two- 
fold blessing; first, that Thou wouldst pardon my 
sins; and then that Thou wouldst give me per- 
severance together with Thy holy love, with grace 
to pray to Thee constantly to help me even till 
death. I ask it all of Thee, I hope for it, through 
the merits of Thy Son Jesus, and the blessed Vir- 
gin Mary. 0 my chief advocate! help me with 
thy prayers. 

OPTIOITAL EEADING 

tTbe IPeace (3oD (5ivc§ to (5ooO IRenglous 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

The promises of God can not fail. He has said : 
Every one that hath left hou.se or brethren, or 
sisters, or father, or mother, or lands, for My 
name's sake shall receive a hundredfold and shall 
possess life everlasting.'' That is, the hundred- 
fold on this earth, and life everlasting in heaven. 

The peace of the soul is a good which is of 
greater value than all the kingdoms of the world. 
And what avails it to have the dominions of the 
whole world without interior peace! Better is it 



214 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



to be the poorest villager, and to be content, than 
to be the lord of the whole world, and to live a 
discontented life. Bnt who can give this peace? 
The unquiet world? Oh, no; peace is a good 
which is obtained only from God. ^'0 God!'* 
prays the Church, ^'give to Thy servants that 
peace which the world can not give." Therefore 
He is called the God of all consolation. But if 
God is the sole giver of peace, to whom shall we 
suppose will He rather give that peace than to 
those who leave all, and detach themselves from 
all creatures, in order to give themselves entirely 
to their creator! And therefore is it seen, that 
good Religious, shut up in their cells, though 
mortified, despised, and poor, live a more con- 
tented life than the great ones of the world, with 
all the riches, pomps, and amusements that they 
enjoy. 

St. Scholasticus said that if men knew the peace 
which good Religious enjoy, the whole world would 
become a monastery ; and St. Mary Magdalene of 
Pazzi said that all, if they knew it, would scale 
the walls of the monasteries in order to enter 
them. The human heart, having been created for 
an infinite good, all creatures can not content it, 
they being finite, imperfect, and few; only God, 
who is an infinite good, can render it content. 

Delight in the Lord, and He will give thee the 
request of thy heart." Oh, no ; a good Religious, 
united to God, envies none of the princes of the 
world who possess kingdoms, riches, and honors. 
^'Let the rich," he will say with St. Paulinus, 
*'have their riches, the kings their kingdoms; to 
me, Christ is my kingdom and my glory." He 
will see those of the world foolishly giory in their 
display and vanities; but he, seeking always to 
detach himself more from earthly things, always 



JESUS OUR GUIDE 



215 



to unite himself more closely to Ms God, will live 
content in this life and say: '^Some trust in 
chariots and some in horses, but we will call upon 
the name of the Lord our God.'' 

St. Teresa said that one drop of heavenly con- 
solation is of greater value than all the pleasures 
of the world. Father Charles of Lorraine, having 
become a Eeligious, said that God by one moment 
of the happiness which He gave him to feel in 
religion, superabundantly repaid him for all he 
had left for God. Hence his delight was some- 
times so great that when alone in his cell he could 
not help dancing for joy. The Blessed Sera- 
phinus of Ascoli, a Capuchin lay-brother, said that 
he would not exchange a foot length of his cord 
for all the kingdoms of the world. 

Oh, what content does he feel who, having left 
all for God, is able to say with St. Francis, '^My 
God and my all!" and with that to see himself 
freed from the servitude of the world, from the 
thraldom of worldly fashion, and from all earthly 
affections. This is the liberty enjoyed by the 
children of God, which good Eeligious are. It is 
true that in the beginning the deprivations of the 
conversations and pastimes of the world, the ob- 
servances of the Community, and the rules, seem 
thorns ; but these thorns, as Our Lord said to St. 
Bridget, will all become flowers and delights to 
him who courageously bears their first stings, and 
he will taste on this earth that peace which, as 
St. Paul says, surpasses all the gratifications of 
the senses, and all the enjoyments of feasts, of 
banquets, and of the pleasures of the world: 
''The peace of God, which surpasseth all under- 
standing. ' ' And what greater peace can there be, 
than to know that one pleases God? 



216 THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



Prayer 

0 my Lord and my God, my all, I know that 
Thou alone canst make me contented in this life 
and in the next. But I will not love Thee for my 
own contentment ; I will love Thee only to content 
Thy heart. I wish this to be my peace, my only 
satisfaction during my whole life, to unite my will 
to Thy holy will, even should I have to suffer 
every pain to do so. Thou art my God, I am Thy 
creature. And what can I hope for greater than 
to please Thee, my Lord, my God, who hast been 
so indulgent in Thy love toward me! Thou, my 
Jesus, hast left heaven to live a poor and morti- 
fied life for love of me. I leave all to live only 
for the love of Thee, my most blessed redeemer. 
I love Thee with my whole heart; if only Thou 
wilt give me the grace to love Thee, treat me as 
Thou pleasest. 

0 Mary, mother of my God, protect me and ren- 
der me like to thee, not in thy glory, which I do 
not deserve, but in pleasing God, and obeying His 
holy will, as thou didst. 



FOUETH MEDITATION 
{JS^diX^, ©ur /lDo&el—'C:be IDalue ot Spiritual 

Point I 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

To SHOW man the true value of divine grace and 
to induce him to co-operate with that grace at all 
times, it will be useful for him to glance at her 



MARY, OUR MODEL 



217 



whom the angel saluted as full of grace. The 
God-Man is indeed the crown of creation, the es- 
sence and model of perfection. But after her 
divine Son, Mary occupies the first place in the 
plan of creation, redemption, and sanctification, 
as carried out by the Holy Ghost. From all eter- 
nity the Holy Ghost loved that predestined virgin 
with a love that surpassed His affection for all 
other creatures. He therefore planned from all 
eternity how to endow her in a manner befitting 
her exalted dignity. What treasures, then, does 
He produce from the infinite riches of God to 
distinguish her before the entire world! 

1. He does not bless this chosen soul with the 
goods of earth, with perishable riches. No, He 
wishes her to be born of poor parents and to be 
espoused to an humble workman. She is not to 
occupy a prominent position in society; she is 
lost in the multitude of the world. This virgin is 
not to enjoy the pleasures of the world; she 
travels the thorny path of life without any ex- 
ternal advantage. The Holy Spirit bestows 
nothing upon her that the world esteems. For 
what the world esteems is but dust and ashes; it 
can not ennoble man, but it easily casts a shadow 
upon the higher goods. 

2. The Holy Ghost grants Mary real treasures, 
valuable in the sight of Heaven. He gives her 
spiritual goods, immense treasures of grace and 
virtue. He exempts her from the law of original 
sin. In the beginning of her life He bestows a 
greater means of grace upon her than any other 
saint, yes, greater than all other saints have ever 
received. He gives her the fulness of His grace. 
To all this He adds special prerogatives, a sinless 
life, freedom from inordinate concupiscence, a 
constant influx of efficacious grace, the most 



218 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



faithful co-operation with grace on her part, and 
a participation in the great work of redemption. 
He plants in her the riches of virtue which are 
quickly perfected by her charity and zeal. Thus 
Mary has become the most beautiful, the most 
perfect creature that we can even imagine. 

Behold, my soul, the true value of grace, the 
real treasures which thou shouldst strive to ac- 
cumulate. See how God values things. See 
what He bestows on Mary, who was elected and 
predestined to be the mother of the Kedeemer of 
the world. The Holy Spirit does not bestow on 
her the goods of earth, though they were all at 
His disposal. He does not make her shine before 
man by her talents and accomplishments. But 
He distinguishes her from all the world by be- 
stowing upon her the plenitude of spiritual 
riches. He unites her intimately to Himself by 
every grace. He makes her a perfect copy of the 
God-Man by the practice of every virtue in a 
heroic degree. Congratulate thy spiritual mother, 
then, on the graces and prerogatives which the 
Holy Spirit bestowed upon her. Thank the 
blessed Trinity all the days of thy life for so dis- 
tinguishing thy heavenly queen. Ask the angels 
of heaven to unite with thee in thanking God for 
having thus lavished His choicest gifts upon a 
member of the human race. Thank God, also, 
for having pointed out to thee the true value of 
things. If all that the world prizes were of any 
true value, God would certainly have bestowed 
these things upon our blessed Lady. He loved 
her more than He loved all other human beings, 
and yet He did not bestow them upon her. They, 
therefore, are of no true value. 



MARY, OUR MODEL 



219 



AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEKS 

0 God, I thank Tliee, for having pre-elected the 
blessed Virgin Mary and lavished Thy choicest 
blessings upon her. 0 Mary, my mother, I re- 
joice with thee on account of the prerogatives 
which the Holy Spirit bestowed upon thee. I 
unite my feeble voice to thine in praising God 
and I sing: ^^My soul doth magnify the Lord 
. . . Because He hath done great things to 
me, and holy is His name." 0 holy Spirit, I 
thank Thee for having adorned my blessed Lady 
above all creatures. 0 Mary, thou art full of 
grace. Teach me the true value of the riches 
which thou didst receive. Make me despise the 
transitory things of earth and strive only after 
supernatural grace and merit. Inflame my heart 
with the same love that ever burned in thy im- 
maculate heart. Give me a share in the gener- 
osity, the zeal, the fervor, which thou didst have 
in God's service. 

Point II 

CONSIDEKATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The Holy Spirit wishes to teach man most sal- 
utary lessons by this treatment of the blessed 
Virgin Mary. He wishes to show man, when 
starting on the path of virtue, that he must de- 
spise the transitory goods of earth, and esteem 
the riches of grace, if he has seriously resolved 
to imitate Jesus Christ. The first step in the 
spiritual life is to despise the vanities of the 
world and eagerly strive after higher, super- 
natural riches. Here Mary shines as a model by 
her fidelity to grace and the practice of virtue. 

1. In practical life it frequently happens that 



220 THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



persons direct their energies of mind and heart 
to the acquisition of goods that gratify the senses. 
Even under the religious garb often beats a heart 
filled with the desires of the world. Instructed 
by the Holy Ghost, Mary despised all earthly 
things, never sought them, never made any effort 
to acquire them. 

2. In daily life most persons show little appre- 
ciation for spiritual goods, such as grace, virtue, 
and merit. But Mary treasured the riches of 
grace above all things. She was mindful of even 
the smallest grace and co-operated most faithfully 
with it. "Well did Mary understand the words of 
Solomon: Vanity of vanities and all is van- 
ity.'' But of the things of God Mary was most 
desirous. ^^And Mary kept all these words in her 
heart" {Luke ii. 51). 

Ah, my soul, thou hast but little desire for 
spiritual riches, because thou knowest not the 
price thereof. Let the example of the Blessed 
Virgin be thy rule of life. Take her as thy 
model. Dost thou desire to be a true disciple and 
follower of Jesus Christ according to the will of 
the Holy Spirit! Dost thou wish to lead a truly 
pious life? Despise, then, the world with all its 
transient splendor. In thy mind reduce earthly 
things to that subordinate rank which is their 
due. Place the highest value on those spiritual 
goods which are precious in the sight of the Holy 
Ghost, such as the truths of salvation, grace, vir- 
tue, and merit. Think more of the least action 
performed in God and for God than of all the 
treasures of the world, because it increases thy 
treasures in heaven. Only in this way canst thou 
profit by the life of thy heavenly queen. Thus 
alone will thy meditation on the example of Jesus 
Christ, and thy endeavor to imitate Him, bear 



MARY, OUR MODEL 



221 



thee fruit a hundredfold with the assistance of the 
Holy Ghost. 

AFFECTIONS AND PKAYEES 

0 holy Spirit, Thou art love itself, for Thou 
laborest so diligently to apply the fruits of the 
redemption to the souls of men. I thank Thee 
with all my heart for the countless graces which 
Thou hast bestowed upon me. It is impossible 
for me to call to mind all that Thou hast already 
done for me. Thou hast breathed into me the 
breath of life. Of Thee I was born again in holy 
Baptism to that supernatural life which belongs 
to the children of God. Thou hast given me 
Jesus for my brother and Mary immaculate for 
my spiritual mother. Thou didst make me a 
living member of Christ's mystical body, a branch 
on the true vine that bears fruit for eternity. 
Thou didst erect Thy tabernacle in my soul and 
implant in my heart the seed of supernatural 
virtue and Thou dost water it continually with 
a flow of grace. 0 holy Spirit, Spirit of love and 
holiness, I thank Thee for having taken compas- 
sion on so miserable a creature as myself. When 
I now consider how ungrateful I have been I 
could almost die of shame. Yes, I repent sin- 
cerely of all my coldness, of all my indifference. 
Henceforth I will diligently imitate the holy Vir- 
gin Mary, my model, because she co-operated so 
generously with Thy grace. I desire to live hence- 
forth only to love and serve that God who has 
been so good to me. 

Resolution 

1 will never forget that the only true riches for 
man are the riches of grace. I will frequently, 
therefore, call to mind the words of my blessed 



222 THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



Saviour : ' ' Labor not for the meat which perish- 
eth, but for that which endureth unto life ever- 
lasting, which the Son of man will give you" 
{John vi. 27). 

0 holy Spirit, teacher of wisdom, give me a 
true hunger and thirst for justice, that I may 
labor earnestly for the riches that have value in 
heaven. '^Blessed is the man whom Thou shalt 
instruct, 0 Lord; and shalt teach him out of Thy 
law" {Ps. xciii. 12). Conduct me, 0 Lord, in 
Thy way, and I will walk in Thy truth" {Ps. 
Ixxxv. 11). 

0 Mary ! I love thee as the most beautiful of the 
works of God, and I place my confidence in thee. 
Obtain for me the grace that I may always re- 
member thee. 



OPTIONAL EEFLECTION 

/iBarig a ^oOel of \Dirtue 

{From St, AlpJionsus) 

St. Augustine says, that in order to obtain more 
certainly and abundantly the favor of the saints, 
it is necessary to imitate them, for when they see 
us practising the virtues which they practised, 
then they are more moved to pray for us. The 
queen of the saints, and our first advocate, Mary, 
after she has rescued a soul from the grasp of 
Lucifer, and has united it to God, wishes it to be- 
gin to imitate her example, otherwise she will not 
be able to enrich it as she would wish with her 
graces, seeing it so opposed to her in conduct. 
Therefore Mary calls those blessed who diligently 
imitate her life. *^Now, therefore, children, hear 
me; blessed are they that keep my ways." He 



MARY, OUR MODEL 



223 



who loves is like, or seeks to make himself like, 
the person beloved, according to the proverb, 
^'Love either finds or makes its like.'' Hence St. 
Jerome tells ns that if we love Mary, we must seek 
to imitate her, for this is the greatest honor we 
can pay her. Eichard says, ''Those are and may 
call themselves true children of Mary, who strive 
to imitate her life." ''Let the child, then, en- 
deavor," concludes St. Bernard, "to imitate the 
mother if he desires her favor; for when Mary 
sees that he honors her as a mother she will treat 
and favor him as a child." 

Although there is little recorded in the Scrip- 
tures of the virtues of Mary in particular, yet 
when they tell us that she was full of grace, it 
is given us to understand that she had all virtues, 
and in the heroic degree. So much so, that as St. 
Thomas says, "whereas the other saints have ex- 
celled, each in some one particular virtue, the 
Blessed Virgin has excelled in all, and in all has 
given us an example." And St. Ambrose also 
says, "Such was Mary, that her life alone is the 
example for all." And he adds: "Let the vir- 
ginity and life of Mary be to you as an image, in 
which the form of virtue shines forth. From 
thence obtain the model of your life, what you 
should correct, what avoid, and what retain. ' ' 

0 mother of mercy, since thou art as compas- 
sionate, and hast so great a desire to do me good, 
and to satisfy my requests, I to-day have recourse 
to thy mercy, that thou mayest grant my petition. 
Let others ask what they will, health of body, 
wealth, or temporal advantages ; I come to ask of 
thee, 0 Lady, those things which thou thyself dost 
most desire of me, and which are most conform- 
able and most pleasing to the Sacred Heart. Thou 
who wast so humble, obtain for me humility and 



224 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



love of contempt. Thou who wast so patient in 
the difficulties of this life, obtain for me patience 
in things contrary to my wishes. Thou who didst 
overflow with the love of God, obtain for me the 
gift of holy and pure love. Thou who wast all 
charity toward mankind, make me charitable to 
all, and especially toward those who are my 
enemies. Thou who wast wholly united to the di- 
vine will, obtain for me a perfect conformity with 
the will of God in all its dispositions concerning 
me. Thou, in a word, art the most holy of all 
creatures; 0 Mary, obtain for me the grace to 
become a saint. Thy love is unfailing ; thou canst 
and wilt obtain all things for me. Nothing, then, 
can hinder me from receiving thy graces but my 
neglect to invoke thee or my want of confidence in 
thy intercession. These two greatest gifts I ask 
from thee; from thee let me receive them; from 
thee do I confidently hope for them. 0 Mary, my 
mother, my hope, my love, my life, my refuge, my 
consolation ! 

EXAMINATION 

Unto past IResolvittona 

The humble publican found favor with God, the 
proud Pharisee did not. The publican appealed 
to God's mercy, the pharisee abused it. Have I 
followed the publican or the pharisee in the past? 
My conscience and the progress I have made will 
tell. Have I presumed on God's mercy? He is 
eternal and may yet punish me. Have I tried to 
serve two masters? Have I regarded heaven 
rather as a gift than a reward? Have my daily 
examinations been made through routine? Have 
my acts of contrition been a mere formality? 



MARY, OUR MODEL 



225 



Have I even said with the pharisee, "I thank God 
that I am not like the rest"! Have I really been 
honest with God? Have I always had a good will 
to advance in recollection, prayer, penance, hu- 
mility, patience, and charity! or have I found it 
easier to discover the mote in my neighbor's eye 
than the beam in my own! Will Jesus accept the 
excuse that I always forgot my good resolution? 
Have I left my purpose of amendment in the con- 
fessional? Plave I been lacking in sincerity and 
good will? Have I been willing to triumph with 
Jesus but not to labor, suffer, and pray with Him? 
Have I practically sought more modern guides 
than Christ crucified ! Have I allowed Satan to 
delude me, my passions to dominate me? Have 
I tried to harmonize the ways of the world and 
the spirit of Jesus Christ? Have I been more 
concerned about temporal than about spiritual 
treasures? Have I contented myself with being 
outwardly decorous, without striving after the 
perfection of the angelic virtue? Have I been 
obedient merely through human respect? How 
often did I consider Mary as a model of every 
virtue and a perfect copy of her divine Son? Is 
my faith more theoretical than practical? Is my 
virtue without the foundation of humility? with- 
out the safeguards of mortification? without the 
nourishment of solid piety? 

Protestation for a Happy Death, (See p. 77.) 

HYMN 

ZTbe Xove of ^csws for tbe Soul 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

Oh, it were joy and high reward, 
Transpierced with wounds of love, to die 

For that most lovely, loving God, 
For whom all hearts should sigh. 



THE DAY OF RESOLUTION 



Such is His beauty, such His grace, 
That stars of heaven, or gems of eart 

Compared with that divinest face 
Lose their loveliness and worth. 

He seeks His prey with skill divine, 
He draws His bow, the arrow flies ; 

The heart is pierced, and forced to pine 
With love for Him for whom it dies. 

To wound those souls He longs to gam. 
The charm of varied guise He found. 

And all to make those hearts remain 
Close to His heart forever bomid. 

For this the Word Divine appears 
On earth, a babe, so poor, so weak; 

And from our hearts, with infant tears. 
All love, He comes our love to seek. 

In youth He next is seen again, 

A lovely humble artisan, 
And God's own Son does not disdain 

The vilest services of man. 

At last, a criminal in chains 

Himself unto His spouse He shows ; 

And thus His life of varied pams 
He ends amid the direst woes. 

His love does move ; in form of bread 
To give Himself He yet desires; 

There Avith Himself the soul is fed 
That loves and to His love aspires. 

His love knows every wmning way ; 

He spares no toil, He fears no pain 
To make another heart His prey. 

Or truer love from it to gain. 

Sometimes He loves to banish fear. 
With all the sweetness of a spouse; 

Anon He shows a look severe; 
'Tis all fresh fervor to arouse. 



MARY, OUR MODEL 



Of old He deigned my heart to woo, 
And bound me with love's fiery chains, 

Then seized my heart His hostage true, 
And jealous still His prey retains. 

Then silence, wicked world! depart! 

Seek not esteem or love of mine ; 
Another lover owns my heart, 

His charms are sweeter far than thine. 



THE FIFTH DAY 



ZCbe H)ai2 of iTaitb 

Dedicated to the Spirit of Counsel 
Disposition. — Confidence. 

Motto. — ^"Lo, the kingdom of God is within 
you" {Luke xvii. 21). 

The Special End proposed to the sonl to-day is 
to realize the teaching of faith, so necessary in 
following Jesus as the guide and Mary as the 
model in striving after the Christian Ideal in life. 

Eeading. — ^^Eeligious Obedience/' from your 
Eules and Constitutions. 

PEAYER TO OBTAIN THE GIFT OF COUNSEL 

Holy Spirit, divine consoler! I adore Thee as 
my true God, just as I adore God the Father and 
God the Son; I bless Thee by uniting myself to 
the blessings that Thou dost receive from the 
angels and seraphs. I offer Thee my whole heart, 
and I render Thee heartfelt thanks for all the 
benefits that Thou hast bestowed and dost un- 
ceasingly bestow upon the world. Thou who art 
the author of all supernatural gifts, and who didst 
enrich with immense favors the soul of the blessed 
Virgin Mary, the mother of God, I beseech Thee 
to visit me by Thy grace and Thy love, and to 
grant me the gift of Counsel, in order that I may 
be able to choose what is most suitable to my 
spiritual advancement, and to discover all the 

228 



THE BIRTH OF JESUS 



229 



snares and artifices of the evil spirit who tempts 
me. 

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, Glory he to the 
Father three times. 

THOUGHTS AND EJACULATIONS 

When shall I see myself altogether Thine, my 
God? 

Lord, who am I that Thou shouldst desire to be 
loved by me! 

I desire all that Thou dost will and that alone. 

Toward Thee, my God, oh, how ungrateful have 
I been! 

I consecrate the remainder of my life to Thee. 
0 my Jesus, draw me entirely to Thyself. 
Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me ! 



FIEST MEDITATION 

Ufoe Birtb of Jesus— tTbe ITnscrutable Maigs 
of 6ot> 

Point I 

CONSIDEEATIOITS AITD APPLICATIONS 

Maky brought forth her first-born Son, and 
wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him 
in a manger. My soul, enter the stable of Bethle- 
hem in spirit and consider the scene before thee. 
All that thou seest bears the stamp of abject pov- 
erty. In the manger lies a little helpless being 
wrapped in swaddling clothes. Behold, this tiny 
babe is God Himself ! All the universe is nothing 
compared to that frail being in the manger. Open 
now the eyes of faith and thou wilt see all the in- 



230 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



habitants of heaven in this stable. The heavenly- 
Father regards with great complacency and says : 
' ' This is my well-beloved Son in whom I am well 
pleased." The Holy Ghost pours out on this 
child the fulness of His grace. The heavenly 
choirs bow low in adoration and sing: ^^Holy, 
holy, holy, Lord, God of Sabaoth. " ^ ' Glory be to 
God in the highest and on earth peace to men of 
good will.'' Of this child the Apostle wrote: 
''In Him were all things created in heaven and 
on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones 
or dominations, or principalities or powers; all 
things were created by Him and in Him. And 
He is before all, and by Him all things consist" 
{Col.i. 16-17). The eye of sense beholds only pov- 
erty and misery, but the eye of faith sees wonder- 
ful, exalted, divine treasures. How sublime were 
not the prophecies of the divine Saviour, and how 
seemingly poor and lowly His appearance. How 
different from what men expected ! And yet God 
had done even more than He had foretold. But 
this could be grasped and understood only by 
those who humbly believed. Most of the Jews 
did not penetrate the appearances, and conse- 
quently did not find salvation in Jesus. Few 
then, however, looked at things with the eye of 
faith and found happiness for time and eternity 
through Christ. 

0 my soul, beg this infant for an increase of 
faith, that thou mayest see things at Bethlehem as 
the angels see them. Behold, God the center of 
all happiness, the source of all good, the mighty 
ruler of the universe, has become a weak, help- 
less, poor babe! 0 wonder of wonders! Pros- 
trate thyself in adoration before this manifesta- 
tion of God's boundless love for man and ex- 
claim with the Apostle: ^'To the King of ages, 



THE BIRTH OF JESUS 



231 



immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and 
glory forever and ever. Amen" (1 Tim. i. 17). 
Indeed, my soul, how different are God's ways 
from man's ways! Impress this great truth in- 
delibly upon thy mind. Thank God for teaching 
it to thee in so marvelous a manner. If God had 
not done it, who could have thought it possible 
for Him, by whom and in whom and through 
whom all things were made, to become humility, 
poverty, and suffering incarnated! And yet it 
has been done. ^^And the Word was made flesh 
and dwelt amongst us." Does not the Holy 
Spirit wish hereby to teach thee a great lesson? 
Certainly He does. He cries out to thee ; If thou 
seekest God, if thou seekest only God, God alone 
in all thy actions, then stop not at appearances. 
Penetrate with the eye of faith the outer, unseem- 
ing poor aspect, and thou shalt always and every- 
where discover wonderful treasures in the ways 
of God, treasures of wisdom and grace and virtue 
which he can never discover who regards only 
the external semblances. 

AFFECTIONS AND PKAYEES 

0 God, I thank Thee for the great lesson which 
Thou hast taught me by the incarnation of Thy 
divine Son. I thank Thee for initiating me into 
the secrets of Thy wonderful ways. I regret that 
I have not earlier sought to view things as Thou 
dost view them. It was on account of my pride 
that I was blind to the supernatural. It was ow- 
ing to my want of faith that I was content to see 
things with bodily eyes and did not think of 
penetrating to the treasures of the interior. But 
henceforth I desire to look at things only with the 
eye of faith, to see things only as Thou seest 
them. Give me humility, which is the foundation 



232 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



of the spiritual life, the first requisite for a lively 
faith. Enliven my faith, that I may in all things 
henceforth penetrate beyond that which my 
senses show me. I desire to live and think, to 
will and act, entirely in conformity with Thee. 

Point II 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

It is not sufficient for thee to view things in 
general with the eye of faith, in order to lead a 
spiritual life. Thou must go into detail. When- 
ever God approaches man to bestow a special 
grace upon him. He almost invariably chooses a 
form and manner that is not in accordance with 
man's natural expectations. His faith must, 
therefore, penetrate the humble appearances to 
find the golden kernel. ''Blessed is he that is 
not scandalized in Me," said Our Saviour. The 
Holy Spirit says the same to thee in regard to 
all that He does for thy sanctification and per- 
fection. 

1. How unbecoming, according to human rea- 
son, was the birth of the God-Man upon earth? 
How lowly His hidden life at Nazareth"? How 
commonplace most of His public life! What an 
apparent failure His passion and death! And 
yet what marvels, what abysses of wonders are 
concealed under this humble exterior! Ah, 
''Blessed is he that is not scandalized in Me.'' 

2. What is more wonderful or sublime than 
the Church which Christ has established and 
which the Holy Ghost animates and directs! 
What treasures of truth, grace, and satisfac- 
tion are hidden in her! And yet how insignifi- 
cant her external form? Peter, a poor fisher- 
man, is the rock on which the Church is built. 



THE BIRTH OF JESUS 



233 



Twelve humble apostles are the pillars of this 
Church. Humble and helpless is her external ap- 
pearance. She is persecuted, reviled, hampered, 
treated like an outcast. And yet, '^Blessed is 
he that is not scandalized in Me." 

3. Think of the sacraments! Their matter is 
the simplest elements; water, olive oil, chrism, 
bread, and wine. But what treasures of grace, 
what heavenly riches do not these appearances 
conceal. Angels marvel at these words of divine 
compassion and love. But unfaithful men mock 
at the external, they consider the form ridiculous. 
Ah, Blessed is he that is not scandalized in 
Me.'' 

4. How sublime the dignity of the priesthood! 
How great the power of the priest! He stands 
as mediator between God and man. The Son of 
God obeys him in the Eucharist. He can daily re- 
new the sacrifice of Calvary. He has power to 
loosen the bonds of sin. How sublime, how 
heavenly all this f But how mean, how poor, how 
defective after the external form, the human in- 
strument! But still, ^'Blessed is he that is not 
scandalized in Me." 

5. What more sublime in the Church than the 
religious state! What is grander than striving 
after perfection! than the practice of the evan- 
gelical counsels! What exalted idea hadst thou 
not of the religious life before thou didst enter! 
To live among saints, to witness heroic virtue, to 
be flooded with spiritual consolations, to lead in 
reality the life of an angel, such were thy ex- 
pectations! But, alas, thou didst forget that an 
imperfect human heart beats under the religious 
habit. Then, thou wert scandalized at many 
things, thought the Superiors so human, even so 
worldly-minded at times, guided perhaps by igno- 



234 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



ble principles. And yet the Saviour says again: 
Blessed is he that is not scandalized in Me." 
6. In fact, my soul, God always approaches 
"US with His grace in a manner that we do not ex- 
pect. '^His ways are not onr ways." This is 
true, as well, of the conduct of the Holy Ghost 
in regard to every soul. Were ever thy prayers 
heard in exactly the way thou didst expect 1 How 
often in time of unjust suspicion, misrepresen- 
tation, and persecution wert thou perhaps tempted 
to despair! And yet, Blessed is he that is not 
scandalized in Me." 

It is scarcely necessary for thee, my soul, to 
bring this truth more home to thee by a personal 
application. The Holy Spirit is bringing it home 
to thee daily, almost hourly. Thank Him for 
His goodness. Accustom thyself to look beyond 
the appearances, and thou wilt always detect the 
finger of God and not be scandalized in Him. 

AFFECTIONS AITD PEAYEES 

0 holy Spirit, I thank Thee for this hint which 
Thou givest me in regard to the spiritual life. 
I grieve exceedingly for having so frequently 
been satisfied and deceived by the appearances, 
by the shell, and not sought the precious kernel 
of divine grace hidden within. 0 dear infant 
Jesus, write upon my heart the lesson Thou teach- 
est me by Thy appearance upon earth! Make 
me grasp fully that God's ways are not as ours, 
that it is necessary for the just man to live by 
faith to co-operate with God's holy will, and thus 
receive plentifully the grace which the Holy 
Spirit prepares for him. 



THE BIRTH OF JESUS 



235 



Resolution 

As a child of faith I will endeavor to live in a 
spirit of faith. I will not listen to the voice of 
nature, but ask myself in all things, ^^What does 
faith teach mef 0 God, who hast taught the 
hearts of men by the inspiration of the Holy 
Spirit, grant that we may in the same spirit un- 
derstand what is right and always enjoy His 
consolations. 0 good Jesus! never permit me to 
be separated from Thee. 0 Mary! look on me 
and draw me all to God. 



OPTIONAL REFLECTION 

ff. Sentiments of a %ivcl^ 3Faftb 

(From St, Alphonsus) 

0 ye atheists, who believe not in God, fools 
that ye are; if you do not believe that there is 
a God, tell me who created you? How can you 
imagine that there are creatures existing, with- 
out a previous power having created them ? This 
world which you admire, governed as it is in so 
beautiful and constant an order, could chance, 
which has neither order nor mind, ever have made 
it? Poor wretches! you try to persuade your- 
selves that the soul dies like the body; but, 0 
God, what will you say, when in the next world 
you find that your souls are immortal, and that 
throughout eternity you will be unable to repair 
the ruin you have incurred? 

But if you believe that there is a God, you 
must also believe that there is a true religion; 
and if you do not believe that the religion of the 
Eoman Catholic Church is the true one, tell me 
which is the true one? Perhaps that of the Pa- 



236 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



gans, who admit many gods, and so destroy and 
deny all of them. Perhaps that of the Mahome- 
tans, which is a mixture of fables, of follies, and 
of contradictions. Perhaps the religion of the 
Jews, who, indeed, had at one time the true faith, 
but because they rejected their expected redeemer, 
who taught the new law of grace, they have lost 
their faith, their country, and all. Perhaps that 
of those who, separating themselves from our 
Church, which was first founded by Jesus Christ, 
and to whom He promised that it should never 
fail, have confused all revealed dogmas in such a 
way that the belief of each one is contrary to that 
of his neighbor. 

Ah! it is most evident that our faith is the only 
true one. Either there is faith, and then there 
can be no true religion but ours ; or there is no 
faith, and then all religions are false. But this 
can not be; for if there is a God, there must be 
a true faith and a true religion. 

But how much greater fools are those Christians 
who hold the true faith, and live as if they did 
not believe it ! They believe that there is a God, 
a just judge, and that there is a paradise and an 
eternal hell; and yet they live as if there were 
no judgment, no heaven, no hell, no eternity, no 
God. 

0 God, how can Christians believe in Jesus 
Christ, believe in a God born in a stable, a God 
living obscurely in a carpenter's shop for thirty 
years, working for His livelihood every day as 
a simple carpenter; in fine, how can they believe 
in a God nailed on a cross, and dying consumed 
with grief; and not only not love Him, but even 
make a mockery of Him by their sins ? 

0 holy faith, enlighten all those poor creatures 
who are running to eternal perdition! But this 



THE BIRTH OF JESUS 



237 



light does ever shine forth and enlighten all 
men, both the faithful and the unbelievers; ''the 
true light, which enlighteneth every man." 
How is it, then, that so many are lost? 0 cursed 
sin, thou dost blind the minds of so many poor 
souls, who open their eyes when they enter eter- 
nity; but then they can no more remedy their 
terror ! 

How is it, my Jesus, that so many of Thy serv- 
ants have shut themselves up in caves and deserts, 
to attend only to their salvation; so many have 
retired to closets, in order to live in poverty and 
unknown to the world, to make sure of their eter- 
nal salvation; so many martyrs have left all; so 
many tender virgins have renounced marriage, 
and have embraced such torments as the rack, 
have braved the ax, the coat of mail, the red-hot 
gridiron, and the most cruel deaths, rather than 
lose Thy grace; while so many others live in sin 
and far from Thee for months and years I 

I thank Thee, my Jesus, for the light Thou 
givest me, by which Thou makest me know that 
the goods of this world are but smoke, vanity, 
and deceit, and that Thou art the true and only 
good. 

My God, I thank Thee that Thou hast given me 
this faith, and that Thou hast made it so clear to 
me by the fulfilment of prophecies, by the truth 
of miracles, by the constancy of martyrs, by the 
sanctity of the doctrine, and by the wonderful 
propagation of the same throughout all the 
world ; so that if it were not true, it would be im- 
possible not to say that Thou hadst deceived me, 
in proving it to me by the numerous testimonies 
that Thou hast given me of it. 

I believe all that the Church teaches me to be- 
lieve, because Thou hast revealed all. Nor do 



238 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



I pretend to comprehend intellectually those mys- 
teries which are above my mind ; it is enough that 
Thou hast said so. I pray Thee to increase Thy 
faith in me. 



Iff. M 2)att of 3ffre— ^be %ovc of (5oD 

{From St. Alplionsus) 

^^The Goodness and Kindness of God our Saviour 
Appeared'' {Titus iii. 4). 

God has loved man from all eternity. ^'I have 
loved thee with an everlasting love. But," says 
St. Bernard, ^'before the Incarnation of the Word 
the divine power appeared in creating the world, 
and the divine wisdom in governing it; but when 
the Son of God became man, then was made m.ani- 
fest the love which God had for men.'' And, in 
fact, after seeing Jesus Christ go through so af- 
flicted a life and so painful a death, we should be 
offering Him an insult if we doubted the great 
love which He bears us. Yes, He does surely 
love us; and because He loves us He wishes to 
be loved by us. ^^And Christ died for all, that 
they also who now live may not now live to them- 
selves, but for Him who died for them and rose 
again. ' ' 

Ah, my Saviour, when shall I begin to under- 
stand the love which Thou hast had for me f Hith- 
erto, instead of loving Thee, I have repaid Thee 
with offenses and contempt of Thy graces, but 
since Thou art infinite in goodness I will not lose 
confidence. Thou hast promised to pardon him 
who repents; for Thy mercy's sake fulfil Thy 
promise to me. I have dishonored Thee by put- 
ting Thee aside to follow my own pleasures; but 



THE BIRTH OF JESUS 



239 



now I grieve for it from the bottom of my heart, 
and there is no sorrow that afflicts me more than 
the remembrance of having offended Thee, my 
sovereign good ; pardon me and unite me entirely 
to Thee by an eternal bond of love, that I may 
not leave Thee any more, and that I may only 
live to love and obey Thee, even as Thou didst 
obey Mary and Joseph during Thy hidden life. 
Yes, my Jesus, for Thee alone will I live. Thee 
only will I love. Once I left Thee for creatures, 
now I leave all to give myself wholly to Thee. 
I love Thee, 0 God of my soul, I love Thee more 
than myself. 0 Mary, mother of God, obtain 
for me the grace to be faithful to God till death. 



OPTIONAL EEADIKG 

ir« ^ari2, ^oDel of f aftb 

{From St, Alphonsus) 

^^Mary is justly called the mother of faith," 
says St. Irenaeus, since she repaired by her 
faith that loss which Eve caused by her incred- 
ulity. Eve," says Tertullian, because she 
chose to believe the serpent rather than God, 
brought death into the world; but our Queen, 
believing the word of the angel, that she, re- 
maining a virgin, was to become the Mother of 
the Lord, brought salvation to the world." For 
St. Augustine says that Mary, giving her con- 
sent to the incarnation of the Word, by means 
of her faith opened paradise to men. Also Rich- 
ard, commenting on the words of St. Basil, ^^For 
the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the be- 
lieving wife," says: ^'This is the believing 
woman by whose faith the unbelieving Adam and 



240 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



all Ms posterity are saved." Hence, on account 
of her faith, Elizabeth called the Virgin blessed: 
Blessed art thou that hast believed, because 
those things shall be accomplished in thee that 
were spoken by the Lord." And St. Augustine 
added: ^^Mary is more blessed by receiving the 
faith of Christ than by conceiving the flesh of 
Christ." 

Father Suarez says that the holy Virgin had 
more faith than all men and all the angels. She 
saw her Son in the stable of Bethlehem, and be- 
lieved Him the Creator of the world. She saw 
him flying from Herod, and yet believed that He 
was the King of kings. She saw Him born, and 
believed Him eternal. She saw Him poor and 
in need of food, and believed Him to be the Lord 
of the universe; laid on straw, and she believed 
Him omnipotent. She observed that He did not 
speak, and she believed Him to be the infinite 
wisdom. She heard Him weeping, and she be- 
lieved Him to be the joy of paradise. Finally, 
she saw Him in death, despised and crucified, 
but although the faith of others might have 
wavered, Mary remained firm in the belief that 
He was God. St. Antoninus says, remarking on 
the words, ''There stood by the cross of Jesus 
his mother:" ''Mary stood supported by her 
faith, which she retained firm, in the divinity of 
Christ. And it is for this reason," says the saint, 
"that in the office of Tenebrae only one candle 
is left lighted." St. Leo, when treating on this 
subject, aiDplies to the Blessed Virgin this pas- 
sage of Proverbs: "Her lamp shall not be put 
out in the night." On the words of Isaias, "I 
have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the 
Gentiles there was not a man with me," St. 
Thomas remarks : "He says a man, on account of 



THE BIRTH OF JESUS 



241 



the Blessed Virgin, in whom faith never failed." 
Whence the blessed Albert the Great says that 
Mary practised a most perfect faith. She had 
faith in a most excellent degree; and even when 
the disciples were doubting she did not doubt. 
Mary, therefore, by her great faith merited to be- 
come ''the light of all the faithful," as St. Metho- 
dius calls her. By St. Cyril of Alexandria she 
is called ^^the queen of the true faith"; and Holy 
Church herself attributes to the Blessed Vir- 
gin, by the merit of her faith, the destruction of 
all heresies, Rejoice, 0 Virgin Mary, for thou 
alone hast destroyed all heresies throughout the 
world." St, Thomas of Villanova also says, ex- 
plaining the words of the Holy Spirit, ^^Thou 
hast wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse, 
with one of thy eyes, ' ' that the eyes signify faith, 
by which the Virgin gave the greatest pleasure 
to the Son of God. St. Ildephonsus exhorts us to 
imitate the faith of Mary. But how are we to 
imitate this faith of Mary? Faith is at the same 
time a gift and a virtue. It is a gift of God, in so 
far as it is a light which God bestows on the soul, 
and it is also a virtue is so far as it is exercised 
by the soul. Hence faith is given us not only to 
serve as a rule of belief, but also of action. 
Therefore St. Gregory says: ^^He truly believes, 
who, by his works, practises what he believes." 
And St. Augustine: ''Thou sayest, 'I believe;' do 
what thou sayest, and it is faith." And this is 
to have a lively faith, namely, to live according 
to our belief. My just man liveth by faith. It 
was thus the Blessed Virgin lived, very differ- 
ently from those who do not live according to 
what they believe, whose faith is dead. Diogenes 
went about seeking a man upon earth; but God 
seems seeking a Christian among the many faith- 



242 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



ful: For very few are they who have the works 
of faith, the greater part have only the name; 
but to those should be said what Alexander said 
to that cowardly soldier who was also named 
Alexander: Change either your conduct or your 
name." But, as Father Avila used to say: *^It 
were better that these miserable creatures were 
put in confinement as madmen, believing as they 
do that a happy eternity is prepared for him who 
lives well, and an unhappy eternity for him who 
lives ill, and yet living as if they did not believe 
it." St. Augustine therefore exhorts us to see 
things with Christian eyes, that is, to see accord- 
ing to faith. For St. Teresa was accustomed to 
say that all sins arise from a want of faith. Let 
us therefore implore the Blessed Virgin, that by 
the merit of her faith she may obtain for us a 
lively faith. 0 Lady, increase my faith. 



iriT. Zbc ©bject of Cental iprai^er 

(From St. Alphonsiis) 

In order to practise mental prayer or medita- 
tion well, and to make it truly profitable to the 
soul, we must well ascertain the ends for which 
we attempt it. First, we must meditate in order 
to unite ourselves more completely to God. It 
is not so much good thoughts in the intelligence, 
as good acts of the will, or holy desires, that 
unite us to God; and such are the acts that we 
perform in meditation, acts of humility, confi- 
dence, self-sacrifice, resignation, and especially 
of love and of repentance for our sins. ^^Acts 
of love," says St. Teresa, ^'are those that keep 
the soul inflamed with holy love." 



THE BIRTH OF JESUS 



243 



Secondly, we must meditate in order to obtain 
from God by prayer the graces that are neces- 
sary in order to enable ns to advance in the way 
of salvation, to avoid sin, and to take the means 
that will lead us to perfection. The best fruit, 
then, that comes from meditation is the exercise 
of prayer. Almighty God, ordinarily speaking, 
does not give grace to any but those who pray. 
St. Gregory writes, ^^God desires to be entreated, 
He desires to be constrained, He desires to 
be, as it were, conquered by importunity." 
Observe his words, ^'to be conquered by im- 
portunity." At times, in order to obtain graces 
of special value, it is not enough simply to 
pray; we must pray urgently, and, as it were, 
compel God by our prayers to give them. It 
is true that at all times the Lord is ready to 
hear us; but at the time of meditation, when we 
are most truly in converse with God, He is most 
bountiful in giving us His aid. 

Above all we must have recourse to meditation, 
in order to obtain perseverance and the holy love 
of God. Final perseverance is not a single grace, 
but a chain of graces, to which must correspond 
the chain of our prayers; if we cease to pray, 
God will cease to give us His help, and we shall 
perish. He who does not practise meditation will 
find the greatest difficulty in persevering in grace 
till death. 

Thus must we be urgent with prayers to ob- 
tain from God His holy love. St. Francis de 
Sales said that all virtues come in union with holy 
love. ^^All good things come to me together with 
her." Let our prayer for perseverance and love, 
therefore, be continual ; and in order to pray with 
greater confidence, let us ever bear in mind the 
promise made us by Jesus Christ, that whatever 



244 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



we seek from God through the merits of His Son, 
He will give it to us. Let us, then, pray, and pray 
always, if we would that God should make us 
rich in every blessing. Let us pray for ourselves, 
and, if we have zeal for the glory of God, let us 
pray also for others. It is a thing most pleasing 
to God to be entreated for unbelievers and here- 
tics, and all sinners. *^Let the people confess to 
Thee, 0 God, let all the people confess to Thee. ' ' 
Let us say, ^ ' 0 Lord ! make them know Thee, make 
them love Thee." We read in the lives, of St. 
Teresa and St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi how God 
inspired these holy women to pray for sinners. 
And to prayer for sinners let us also add prayers 
for the holy souls in purgatory. 

Thirdly, we must apply ourselves to medita- 
tion, not for the sake of spiritual consolations, 
but chiefly in order to learn what is the will of 
God concerning us. Speak, Lord," said Samuel 
to God, ^'Thy servant heareth." Lord, make me 
to know what Thou wilt, that I may do it. Some 
persons continue meditation as long as consola- 
tions continue; but when these cease, they leave 
off meditation. It is true that God is accustomed 
to comfort His beloved souls at the time of medi- 
tation, and to give them some foretaste of the de- 
lights He prepares in heaven for those who love 
Him. These are the things which the lovers of 
the world do not comprehend; they who have no 
taste except for earthly delights despise those 
that are celestial. Oh, if they were wise, how 
surely would they leave their pleasures to shut 
themselves up in retirement, to speak alone with 
God! Meditation is nothing more than a con- 
versation between the soul and God; the soul 
pours forth to Him its affections, its desires, 
its fears, its requests, and God speaks to the 



THE BIRTH OF JESUS 



245 



heart, causing it to know this goodness, and the 
love which He bears it, and what it must do to 
please Him. ^^I will lead her into solitude, and 
speak to her heart.'' 

But these delights are not constant, and, for the 
most part, holy souls experience much dryness 
of spirit in meditation. ^'With dryness and 
temptations," says St. Teresa, ''the Lord makes 
proof of those who love Him." And she adds: 
"Even if this dryness lasts through life, let not 
the soul leave ofl meditation; the time will come 
when all will be rewarded." The time of dryness 
is the time of gaining the greatest rewards; and 
when we find ourselves apparently without fer- 
vor, without good desires, and, as it were, unable 
to do a good act, let us humble ourselves, and re- 
sign ourselves, for this very meditation will be 
more fruitful than others. It is enough, then, 
to say, if we can say nothing more, ^ ' 0 Lord ! help 
me, have mercy on me, abandon me not ! ' ' Let us 
also have recourse to our comforter, the most holy 
Mary. Happy he who does not leave off medita- 
tion in the hour of desolation. God will make 
him abound in graces ; and therefore let him say : 

0 my God, how can I expect to be comforted 
by Thee ! I, who until this hour have deserved to 
be in hell forever separated from Thee, and de- 
prived of the power of loving Thee any more! 
I do not, therefore, grieve, 0 m^^ God! that Thou 
deprivest me of Thy consolations; I do not de- 
serve them; I do not pretend to them. It is 
enough for me to know that thou wilt never re- 
pel a soul that loves Thee. Deprive me not of the 
power of loving Thee, and then do with me what 
Thou wilt. If Thou wilt that I thus continue 
afflicted and desolate even till death, and through 
all eternity, I am content; it is enough that I 



246 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



can say with truth, ''0 God, I love Thee, I love 
TheeT' Mary, Mother of God, have pity on me. 



SECOND MEDITATION 

XTbe fHQbt into Bg^pt— Submission to 
Oob's H)ecrees 

Point I 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The Holy Spirit in directing souls often con- 
ceals His instructions that they may honor and 
glorify Him by submitting absolutely and unre- 
servedly to His inspirations. He demands a 
threefold homage, the sacrifice of mind, of heart, 
and of external conduct. 

1. Behold Joseph and Mary fleeing with the 
divine child into Egypt. How perfectly do they 
sacrifice their understanding to the command of 
Heaven! According to the word of the angel, 
they are to depart instantly for a distant and 
hostile country. This journey takes them through 
a vast desert. They are without means of sub- 
sistence or defence, but they do not hesitate. 
They place themselves unreservedly in the hands 
of divine Providence. *^And Joseph arose and 
took the child and his mother by night and re- 
tired into Egypf {Matt. ii. 14). In like manner 
should we conform to the will of the Holy Ghost 
in the dark, trying hours of life. "We must reso- 
lutely set aside every thought of criticism and use- 
less reflection, conform our reason entirely to the 
dispensations of God, and with a lively faith and 
childlike confidence place ourselves entirely at 



THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT 



247 



the disposal of the Holy Ghost. We must be 
convinced that whatever God does is done well. 

Behold, my sonl, a most perfect submission to 
the decrees of almighty God. Moses and Jere- 
mias make humble protestations, but Joseph and 
Mary submit absolutely ; not a word escapes their 
lips in regard to the difficult command. With- 
out taking leave of their friends, without making 
any extraordinary preparation for the journey, 
they depart immediately. They trust implicitly 
in divine Providence. They had long accustomed 
themselves to submit absolutely to the will of 
God. My soul, the Holy Spirit demands the same 
of thee, if thou wishest to make progress on the 
path of perfection. Thou shouldst in all circum- 
stances, even when things look dark and there 
is no human hope, unreservedly follow the guid- 
ance of the Holy Spirit with an unshaken faith. 

Whatever God does He does well." In fact, 
God often conceals His designs on purpose that 
His servants may have an opportunity to follow 
Him blindly, and thus to glorify Him and gather 
a treasure of merit for themselves. Hold fast, 
then, to that truth of faith which teaches that the 
Holy Spirit, this director of souls, ordains and 
carries out everything for thy good. 

It will profit thee little, my soul, to accept with 
a general faith the intervention of the Holy Spirit 
in the important atfairs of thy life. Thou must 
apply it especially to the daily commonplace af- 
fairs of life to make real progress in spirituality. 
Thou wilt never lead a truly interior life until 
thou dost recognize and adore the will of God in 
even the most ordinary affairs. Thou must re- 
gard all things in the light of faith, as means 
which the Holy Spirit employs to further thy 
sanctification. Thou must, therefore, resolutely 



248 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



repress all contradictory and criticizing thoughts, 
which easily arise, and subject thy understand- 
ing unreservedly to the wisdom of the Most High. 
Thou wilt then be able to say with thy Saviour: 
Yea, Father, for so it hath seemed good in Thy 
sight." Such conduct is in reality an homage 
to God, an homage of the understanding made by 
faith which is more precious in proportion as thou 
dost not discover the finger of God in the daily 
affairs of life. 

Now, my soul, must thou not confess that thou 
hast often failed in this regard? How little dost 
thou think of God! How little of the working of 
the Holy Spirit, who directs all the trivial affairs 
of daily life to thy sanctification ! How often 
dost thou criticize in thought, even in word? How 
frequently art thou anxious about this or that, 
distressing thyself by disquieting thoughts in- 
stead of saying in a spirit of faith, ^ ^ God wills it 
so!'' 

AFPECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 God, when I look back upon my past life I 
must confess that though I have believed in a 
general way in thy loving providence, I have fre- 
quently acted as though I did not believe. I have, 
in consequence, failed in that blind submission 
which Thou expectest of those who desire really 
to please Thee. 0 God, I regret my want of faith. 
I am sorry because I have lost so many oppor- 
tunities of giving Thee honor and furthering my 
sanctification. Henceforth, I desire to subject 
my understanding entirely to the teaching of holy 
faith. I believe. Lord, help Thou my unbelief. 
Increase my faith, 0 Lord, that I may in all 
things, great and small, submit blindly to Thy 
guidance. 



THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT 249 



Point II 

CONSIDEKATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

My soul, the Holy Spirit demands not only the 
homage of thy mind but also the homage of thy 
heart and exterior conduct. Joseph and Mary 
made this submission when they readily and joy- 
fully executed the angel's command. Joseph 
foresees full well the sacrifices that this long per- 
ilous journey will cost him. Mary fully compre- 
hends that the journey and abode in Egypt will 
cost her much. But both desire only that the 
will of God may be entirely fulfilled in their re- 
gard. They not only sacrifice to Him their will; 
they are likewise perfectly satisfied with the com- 
mand of Heaven and confide implicitly in the 
guidance of their heavenly father. 

My soul, the Holy Spirit says to thee, ^'My 
son, give Me thy heart; and let thy eyes keep My 
ways'' {Prov. xxiii. 26). Can it be said of thee, 
in fact, as it is said of Mary and Joseph, that 
thou hast but one thought, but one desire — that 
the will of God may be entirely accomplished in 
thee and by thee! Canst thou say in the words 
of the Psalmist: ^^My heart is ready, 0 God, my 
heart is ready"! Think, my soul, on the various 
difficulties that come daily upon thee according 
to the will of God ! Think of those that oppress 
and almost crush thee. Think of the petty vexa- 
tions that so often annoy thee! Think of those 
that thy vocation brings with it! Think espe- 
cially of the trials that others cause thee! How 
dost thou stand these trials? Dost thou glorify 
the Holy Spirit in them by an absolute submission 
of thy will and conduct! Dost thou never mur- 
mur and complain? Dost thou never permit im- 
patience to arise in thy heart and even to mani- 



250 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



f est itself in thy conduct f Dost thon never grow 
sad and despondent? Dost tlion really think at 
all times, ^'My heart is ready"? Dost thou never 
torment thyself about the future? Art thou 
really convinced that the Holy Spirit arranges 
and ordains everything for thy good! 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 God of my soul, have mercy on me, a sin- 
ful creature ! Alas, I who have received so many 
tokens of Thy love, so many graces and special 
blessings, I who have consecrated myself entirely 
to Thy service, have so repeatedly rebelled against 
it. I have consecrated my will to Thy service 
and behold I have sought to do my own. I pray 
daily, "Thy will be done," and am the first to 
murmur and complain ! I have promised to seek 
Thy honor and glory in all things and at all times, 
and yet do not honor Thee by my daily conduct. 
How often, 0 holy Spirit, have I resisted Thy 
holy operations for my daily sanctification ! How 
frequently have I acted contrary to Thy holy de- 
crees. How often have I worried and fretted at 
the little trials of life which Thou didst send me ! 
How easily did I grow impatient, murmur, and 
complain when Thou wast secretly trying to fill 
my soul with grace and heavenly sweetness! 
How willingly do I criticize every one, even my 
Superiors, when Thou art using them to make 
me advance in virtue! Alas, alas, how blind, 
how shortsighted I have been! How little glory 
I have given Thee! How little progress I have 
made? How little I have lived by faith and how 
much have I done from merely natural motives 
and even from passion ! 

0 holy Spirit, Spirit of love and goodness, 
sanctifier of souls, have patience with me ! I de- 



THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT 251 



test my past worldly conduct. I consecrate my 
heart entirely to Thee. Henceforth I desire to 
love Thee alone, to live only for Thee, only to 
give Thee pleasure. I desire to resign myself en- 
tirely into Thy hands. Now that I know what is 
meant by conformity to Thy holy will, I desire to 
pass every moment of my life in accordance with 
it. ^'My heart is ready, 0 God, my heart is 
ready" {Ps. cvii. 2). 

Resolution 

I will surrender myself with childlike confidence 
to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and think in 
all adversities: Whatever God does is done 
well. ' ' He hath done all things well. ^ ' Shall not 
my soul be subject to God! for from Him is my 
salvation" (Ps, Ixi. 2). Blessed be the Lord 
day by day; the God of our salvation will make 
our journey prosperous to us" {Ps, Ixvii. 20). 
My Jesus, grant me Thy love, and I ask Thee for 
nothing more. 0 Virgin Mary, draw us wholly 
to God; thou canst do so; do so for the love 
that thou hast for thy Son, Jesus Christ. 



OPTIONAL REFLECTION 

Sentiments of Conformity to tbe mill of (3oO 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

My Jesus, every time that I say '^Blessed be 
God," or ^^May the divine will be done," I in- 
tend to accept all that Thou hast ordained for me 
both in time and eternity. 

I desire no other office, no other habitation, no 
other clothing, no other food, no other health, 
but what it shall please Thee to send me. 



252 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



I wish for no other employment, no other talent, 
no other fortune than that which Thou hast des- 
tined for me. If Thou dost will that I should not 
succeed in my affairs, that my undertakings should 
fail, that my possessions should be taken away 
from me — this also is my will. 

If Thou wishest me to be despised, looked upon 
with ill-will, that others should be preferred to 
me, that I should be defamed and ill-treated even 
by my dearest friends — this is my will also. 

If Thou dost will that I should be made poor 
in all things, that I should be an exile from my 
country, imprisoned in a dungeon, and should be 
forced to live in continual sorrow and affliction — 
this also is my will. 

If Thou dost will that I should be always ill, in 
pain, and afflicted, obliged to remain in my bed 
abandoned by all — this I desire also. 

May all be as Thou pleasest, and as long as 
Thou pleasest ; I put my very life into Thy hands, 
and accept whatever death Thou hast destined for 
me; and I also accept the death of those dear to 
me, and all that Thou shalt ordain. 

I also unite my will to Thine in all that regards 
my spiritual wellfare. I desire to love Thee in 
this life with all my strength, and to attain para- 
dise, that I may love Thee as the seraphim love 
Thee ; but I am content with that which Thou dost 
will for me. If Thou dost will to give me but one 
single degree of love, of grace, of glory, I wish 
for no more, because it is Thy will. I value more 
the fulfilment of Thy will than anything that I 
could gain for myself. 

In fine, my God, dispose of me and my affairs 
as it pleases Thee. Look not to my pleasure ; for 
I desire nothing but what is in conformity to Thy 
will. Whether Thy treatment of me be severe or 



THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT 253 



gentle, pleasant or unpleasant to me, I accept and 
embrace it, because both tbe one and the other 
come to me from Thee. 

My Jesus, I accept besides, in a special manner, 
my death, with all the pains that shall accompany 
it, according to Thy will, where Thou wilt, and at 
the time Thou wilt. I unite them, my Saviour, 
with Thy death ; and I offer them to Thee in testi- 
mony of the love I bear Thee. I desire to die to 
please Thee, and to fulfil Thy holy will. 

PAETICULAE EXAMINATION 
On Confidence in jfollowina tbe 1bol^ Ghost 

Do I realize: 
That the Holy Spirit knows all things! 
That He is most concerned about my welfare? 
That I am unworthy of His favor? 
That I ought therefore to confide in His guid- 
ance? 

That my success depends on this confidence? 

Have I implicitly confided in His teaching? 

Have I implicitly followed His inspiration? 

Am I prepared to live by faith alone ? 

Am I resolved to live entirely by faith? 

Say an act of contrition for faults, and one of 
thanksgiving for success, and renew your senti- 
ments of confidence in the Holy Spirit. 



254 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



THIED MEDITATION 
XTbe Ibibben Xtfe ot Jesus-perfect ©beDience 

Point I 

CONSIDEKATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

My soul, consider the motives that fill thee with 
a high idea of the virtue of Obedience and that 
ought to prompt thee to practise it with ever in- 
creasing fervor. 

The example of the Son of God made man is 
the first motive. This God-Man the Holy Spirit 
proposes to thee as thy guide and exemplar. He 
places this model before thee as a living book of 
holiness. St. Luke records the long, hidden life 
of Jesus at Nazareth with these simple but sig- 
nificant words: ^^And He went down with them 
and came to Nazareth and was subject to them 
. . . And He advanced in wisdom and age and 
grace with God and men" (Luke ii. 51-2). The 
Holy Spirit enlightened and directed St. Luke 
in writing, and he emphasizes holy obedience as 
the predominating virtue of the hidden life of 
Jesus. Go in spirit to the home at Nazareth and 
observe these three holy persons, Jesus, Mary, 
and Joseph, living in great seclusion. Here our 
Saviour practises obedience in the most perfect 
degree. He is subject to His holy mother and His 
foster-father. He was, therefore, not only obedi- 
ent, but so perfectly subject to them that He lived 
entirely according to their desires. Consider this 
life a little in detail so as to have a clear idea of 
this obedience. 

1. Who was this child, living in perfect sub- 
jection? He was the only begotten Son of the 



THE HIDDEN LIFE OF JESUS 255 



eternal Father, the Lord of heaven and earth, the 
creator of the universe. 

2. Whom does He oheyl He obeys His own 
creatures, who owe Him all they are and have. 

3. In what does He obey? In all things with- 
out exception. He lives entirely according to the 
will of Mary and Joseph. 

4. How does He obey? He obeys most punc- 
tually. He obeys willingly, even joyfully, no 
matter how difficult the task imposed upon Him. 

Thou, my soul, hast voluntarily taken upon thy- 
self special obligations in addition to the laws of 
God and His Church. Is this example of the 
Saviour obeying His creatures in all things not 
sufficient to inspire thee with a love for obedience 1 
Should this example not move thee willingly to 
embrace all the trials and burdens of holy obedi- 
ence and become like thy model and thus really 
please the Holy Spirit? If the example of thy 
Saviour would not move thee to practise holy 
obedience what is there that could induce thee? 
Look back upon thy past life a moment and see 
how thou hast practised this holy virtue. Thou 
art only a poor creature. Hast thou that punctu- 
ality, that whole-souledness, that joy in obeying 
which Jesus had? Dost thou never murmur or 
complain? Dost thou perhaps even dare to dis- 
obey in those very things that thou hast delib- 
erately promised? Or dost thou even go so far 
in thy disobedience as to violate the laws of God 
and His Church? Hast thou not, alas, frequently 
underestimated this virtue, though Jesus was 
obedient even to the death of the cross? though He 
said of Himself, **my meat is to do the will of Him 
that sent Me''? 



256 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



AFFECTIONS AND PKAYEES 

0 God of my soul, I humbly prostrate myself 
before Thee to acknowledge my many sins against 
holy obedience. It is true that I have freely taken 
upon myself the special obligation of this virtue. 
I did this to imitate my divine model and acquire 
perfection. Now, alas, I find that I have been 
so slow, so unwilling, so ill-humored in fulfilling 
my obligations. I detest this conduct with all 
my heart. I am sincerely sorry for having vio- 
lated my sacred promises to Thee. But hence- 
forth I desire to look upon my lawful superiors as 
Thy representatives. Impress this truth deeply 
on my mind, write it indelibly upon my heart, that 
it may become the main principle of my life. 
Then it may be said of me as of my divine model 
and saviour, ^'that I was subject in all things." 
Make the principle of holy obedience the daily 
bread of my soul, that I may promptly, joyfully, 
and willingly obey Thee, not only according to 
Thy precepts, but that I may anticipate even the 
slightest wish of Thy lawful representatives. 

Point II 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

My soul, the second motive that ought to inspire 
thee to practise obedience perfectly, is the 
thought that it is pleasing in the sight of God. 
Thou canst not please the Holy Spirit more than 
by obeying all thy lawful superiors with childlike 
submission out of love for Him. By obedience 
thou offerest to God the most precious thing thou 
dost possess, thy own will. It is, in fact, the only 
thing that thou canst give Him that He does not 
already possess. Thy health and life are in His 



THE HIDDEN LIFE OF JESUS 



257 



hands. He can do with them as best pleases Him. 
But He has given thee a free will, that thou 
mightest have something to sacrifice to Him. 
The sacrifice that He desires is the loving service 
of thy free will. Now, my soul, if thou dost sacri- 
fice thy own will, even in things lawful, to the 
Holy Spirit, thou dost give Him the very best, 
the most precious gift that thou dost possess, and 
thou honorest Him exceedingly. 

Consider, finally, my soul, the great spiritual 
advantages of obedience. They are a consequence 
of what has already been said, (a) Perfect 
obedience saves thee from self-deception, that 
great danger which causes the spiritual shipwreck 
of many souls, (h) Besides, if thou dost really 
obey for God's sake, that is, humbly submittest 
to thy lawful Superiors, precisely to honor God 
in them and to fulfil His will in their commands 
and desires, then God will certainly direct thee 
in such a way through thy Superiors as will be 
most conducive to thy eternal welfare. **To 
them that love God, all things work together unto 
good'' (Rom, viii. 28), says St. Paul, and our 
divine Saviour Himself gives us a message when 
He says to our Superiors, ^'He that heareth you, 
heareth me" (Luke x. 16). (c) Moreover, per- 
fect obedience is the best and most efficacious 
penance which man can offer to the justice of God 
for past sins and transgressions, (d) And 
finally, it stands to reason that on account of the 
special honor and homage which man gives to 
God by perfect obedience, the special blessing of 
Heaven also rests on all works performed through 
obedience. 

Now, my soul, impress this truth indelibly upon 
thy mind, that thou art pleasing to the Holy Spirit 
only in so far as thou dost sacrifice thy will to 



258 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



Him. Especially is thy service acceptable when 
thou willingly conformest thyself to His holy will 
in all things where that will is made known to 
thee by a poor human being like thyself. Oh, 
how foolishly have I acted, how blind have I been ! 
How frequently have I not recognized the voice 
of my Superiors as the voice of Grod? I have 
wilfully deceived myself and preferred my own 
lights to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Instead 
of using this opportunity of doing penance, I 
have offended God anew by my disobedience. I 
know that God blesses those especially who are 
obedient and subject in all things. I realize that 
I can make but little progress without this special 
blessing, and yet how often have I hesitated, how 
often murmured and complained? 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 God, I have dedicated myself entirely to 
Thee; I have renounced my will to do Thine at 
all times, but, alas, how often have I taken back 
that which I have given Thee ! I repent with all 
my heart of every disobedience that I have com- 
mitted. I regret that I wasted so much time, 
that I have spent so many hours to please my own 
will. I deplore having shown Thee such a want 
of love and esteem by my disobedience to my law- 
ful Superiors or to my holy Rule. I desire to 
live, henceforth, only to love Thee ; I wish to love 
Thee perfectly by giving the homage of my own 
will to Thee at all times. Yes, I hope to live in 
entire conformity to Thy holy will by doing every- 
thing in a spirit of obedience. I will look upon 
my Superiors as the representatives of God, upon 
their will as Thy will, upon their pleasure as Thy 
pleasure. 



THE HIDDEN LIFE OF JESUS 



259 



Resolution 

I resolve to call often to mind the words of the 
prophet Samuel: ''Obedience is better than sac- 
rifice'' (1 Kings xv, 22). I will endeavor to prac- 
tise holy obedience perfectly, both interiorly and 
exteriorly. 0 holy Spirit, who dost direct souls 
on the way of perfection by means of obedience, 
give me a docile mind and heart. Thy will be 
done, 0 my Jesus. I desire to live and die in 
conformity with Thy holy example. Mary, my 
mother, thou didst direct Jesus for many years; 
teach me obedience. Amen. 



OPTIONAL REFLECTIONS 

f ♦ Z\)C 3Fi1enD3 of ^csns Bate tbe MorlD 

(From St. Alplionsus) 

Whoever loves Jesus Christ with true love, let 
him greatly rejoice when he sees himself treated 
by the world as Jesus Christ was treated, who 
was hated, scorned, and persecuted by the world, 
even to an agonizing death upon a shameful cross. 
The world is all against Jesus Christ ; and, there- 
fore, hating Him, it hates all His servants. For 
this reason the Lord encouraged His disciples to 
suffer in peace all the persecutions of the world, 
saying to them that, having given up the world, 
they could not but be hated by the world. ''Ye 
are not of the world, therefore the world hateth 
you." And as the lovers of God are hateful to 
the world, the world ought to be hateful to him 
who loves God. St. Paul said, "God forbid that 
I should glory, except in the cross of Our Lord 
Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto 



260 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



me, and I unto the world." The Apostle was an 
odious thing to the world, as a man condemned 
and dead upon a cross is odious ; and thus, in re- 
turn, the world was odious to St. Paul. ^'The 
world is crucified unto me." 

Jesus Christ chose to die upon the cross for our 
sins for this end, that He might deliver us from 
the evil world. Our Lord, having called us to 
love Him, desires that we should become superior 
to the promises and threats of the world. He 
desires that we should no longer take account of 
its censures and praises. We must pray God to 
make us utterly forget the world, and to make us 
rejoice when we see the world reject us. It is not 
enough, in order to belong wholly to Grod, that 
we should abandon the world ; we must desire that 
the world should abandon us, and utterly forget 
us. Some people leave the world, but they do not 
cease to wish to be praised by it, at least for 
having abandoned it; in such persons the desire 
of worldly estimation causes the world still to live 
in them. 

Thus, then, the world hates the servants of 
God, and therefore it hates their good example 
and holy maxims; and thus it is necessary that 
we should hate all the maxims of the world. 
*^The wisdom of the flesh is an enemy to God, for 
it is not subject to the law of God, neither can 
it be." The Apostle says it can not be, for the 
reason that the world has no other object but its 
own interest or pleasure ; and thus it can not agree 
with those who seek only to please God. 

Yes, 0 my Jesus, who wast crucified, and died 
for me. Thee alone I desire to please. What is 
the world, what are riches, what are honors? I 
desire that Thou, my Kedeemer, shouldst be all 
my treasure ; to love Thee is my riches. If Thou 



THE HIDDEN LIFE OF JESUS 



261 



wilt have me in wantj I desire to be in want; if 
Thou wilt have me humble and despised by all, 
I embrace all and receive it from Thy hands ; Thy 
will shall ever be my comforter. This is the 
grace that I seek of Thee, that in every event I 
may not depart a moment from Thy holy will. 



irir» m 2)art of mu—Zbc Q\)Mcncc of 5e6U6 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

^^He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto 
death; even to the death of the cross'' {Philipp. 
ii. 8). 

What great thing is it that the martyrs have 
done in giving their lives for God, while this same 
God has humbled Himself to the death of the cross 
for their love? To render a just return for the 
death of our God, it would not be sufficient to sac- 
rifice the lives of all men. Only God can compen- 
sate for what God has done. 0 my Jesus ! allow 
me, a poor sinner, to say to Thee, with Thy true 
lover St. Francis of Assisi: ^^May I die, 0 Lord, 
for love of Thy love, as Thou didst deign to 
die." 

Is it true, my Eedeemer, that in the past, for 
the love of my own pleasures, unhappy that I am ! 
I once renounced Thy love? Would that I had 
died before I did so, and that I had never offended 
Thee ! I thank Thee that Thou givest me time to 
love Thee in this life, that I may afterward love 
Thee throughout all eternity. Ah, remind me 
continually, my Jesus, of the ignominious death 
that Thou hast suffered for me, that I may never 
forget to love Thee in consideration of the love 
that Thou hast borne me. I love Thee, infinite 



262 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



goodness ; I love Thee, my supreme good ; to Tliee 
I give myself entirely, and by that love which 
caused Thee to die for me, do Thon accept my 
love, and let me die, destroy me, rather than ever 
permit me to leave off loving Thee. I will say 
to Thee, with St. Francis de Sales, ^'0 eternal 
Love, my soul seeks Thee, and chooses Thee for 
all eternity. Come, 0 holy Spirit, inflame my 
heart with Thy love, either to love or to die, to 
die to all other affections, to live only to the love 
of Jesus. 

OPTIONAL READING 

f ♦ ^arig tbe /iBoDel of ©bedience 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

It was through the affection which Mary bore 
to the virtue of obedience that when the Annunci- 
ation was made to her by St. Gabriel, she did not 
wish to call herself by any other name than that 
of handmaid: ^'Behold the handmaid of the 
Lord. ' ^ ^ ^ Indeed, ' ' says St. Thomas of Villanova, 
^'this faithful handmaid neither in act, word, nor 
thought ever disobeyed the Lord, but, divested 
of all self-will, she always and in all things lived 
obedient to the divine will. ' ' She herself declared 
that God was pleased with her obedience when 
she said: ^^He hath regarded the humility of 
His handmaid;" for this is the humilitj^ of a 
servant, to be always prompt to obey. St. 
Augustine says that the mother of God remedied 
by her obedience the evil that Eve had caused by 
her disobedience. The obedience of Mary was 
far more perfect than that of all the other saints, 
for all men, being inclined to evil through original 
sin, feel difficulty in doing right; but not so the 



THE HIDDEN LIFE OF JESUS 263 

Blessed Virgin; for, as St. Bernadine says: Be- 
cause she was free from original sin, there was 
in her no hindrance in obeying God, but she was 
like a wheel readily moved at every divine 
breath." Hence her only occupation on this 
earth, as the same saint expresses it, was to dis- 
cover and to do what was pleasing to God. Of 
her it was said, ^'My soul melted when He spoke." 
Commenting on this passage, Eichard says that 
the soul of Mary was like metal in a state of 
fusion, ready to take any form that was pleasing 
to God. 

Mary indeed proved the readiness of her obedi- 
ence in the first place, when, in order to please 
God, she was willing even to obey the Eoman 
emperor, and made the journey of fifty miles to 
Bethlehem in winter, being near her delivery, and 
so poor that she was obliged to bring forth her 
Son in a stable. She was also ready at the word 
of St. Joseph to set out immediately on that very 
night upon the longer and more difficult journey 
into Egypt. And Silver ia asks why the command 
to fly into Egypt was given to Joseph and not to 
the Blessed Virgin, who was to suffer most from 
the journey! And he answers; ^^Lest the Vir- 
gin be deprived of an opportunity for performing 
an act of obedience for which she was most 
ready." But above all she showed her heroic 
obedience, when, in order to obey the divine will, 
she offered her Son to death with so much firm- 
ness that, as St. Ildephonsus says, ^^she would 
have been ready to crucify Him, if executioners 
had been wanting." Hence Venerable Bede, 
commenting on these words of the Redeemer to 
the woman in the Gospel who exclaimed, Blessed 
is the womb that bore Thee" — ^'Yea, rather 
blessed are they who hear the Word of God and 



264 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



keep it," says that Mary was more happy through 
obedience to the divine will than in being the 
mother of God Himself. 

For this reason it is, that those who love obedi- 
ence are very pleasing to onr Lady. She ap- 
peared once to a Religious, a Franciscan named 
Accorso, in his cell, who being called by obedience 
to go and hear the confession of a sick person, 
went out; but when he returned he found Mary 
waiting for him, and she greatly praised his 
obedience. As, on the other hand, she greatly 
blamed another Eeligious, who, when the bell had 
summoned him to the refectory, delayed in order 
to finish certain devotions. The Virgin, speak- 
ing to St. Bridget of the security found in obeying 
a spiritual father, said : ^ ' Obedience has brought 
all the saints to glory." St. Philip Neri also said, 
that ^ ' God requires no account of things done by 
obedience, having Himself declared: ^He that 
heareth you, heareth Me; and he that despiseth 
you, despiseth Me.' " The Mother of God herself 
revealed to St. Bridget, that, through the merit 
of her obedience she had obtained from the Lord 
that all penitent sinners who have recourse to her 
should be pardoned. Oh, my queen and mother, 
pray to Jesus for me, obtain for me through the 
merits of thy obedience that I may be faithful in 
obeying His will, and the commands of my Supe- 
riors. Amen. 

•fflT, aflDellt^ In BOveraits 

{From St. Alplionsus) 

The faithfulness of soldiers is tried not in re- 
pose, but in battle. This earth is our battle- 
field, where every one is placed to fight, and to 
conquer, in order to be saved; if he conquers not, 



THE HIDDEN LIFE OF JESUS 265 



he is lost forever. Therefore said holy Job, 
''Every day I now fight; I wait until my change 
cometh." Job suffered in struggling with many 
a foe, but he comforted himself with the hope that, 
in conquering and rising from the dead, he should 
change all his state. Of this change St. Paul 
spoke, and rejoiced in speaking of it : ''The dead 
shall be raised incorrupt, and we shall be 
changed." Our estate is changed in heaven, 
which is no place for toil, but for rest; not of 
fear, but of security; not of sorrow or weariness, 
but of gladness and eternal joy. With the hope, 
then, of so great joy, let us inspire ourselves and 
fight until death, and never give ourselves up con- 
quered to our enemies "until our change comes," 
until the end of our struggle is attained, and we 
possess a blessed eternity. 

' ' The patient man will endure for the time, and 
then shall gladness be restored to him." Blessed 
is he who suffers for God in this life; he suffers 
"for the time," but his joy will be eternal in 
the country of the blessed. This will end the 
persecutions, the temptations, the infirmities, the 
annoyances, and all the miseries of this life; and 
God will give us a life full of satisfaction, which 
will never end. Now is the time of pruning the 
vine, and for cutting off everything that hinders 
its growth toward the promised land of heaven. 
But the cutting off produces pain, so that we have 
need of patience, and then is the restoration of 
gladness, when the more we have suffered, the 
more shall we be filled with consolations. God 
is faithful; and to him who suffers on earth for 
His love's sake with resignation He promises 
that He Himself will be his reward; a reward in- 
finitely greater than all suffering. "Behold, I 
am thy reward exceeding great. ' ' 



266 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



Nevertheless, before we receive the crown of 
eternal life, Our Lord wills that we should be tried 
with sufferings. ^'Blessed is the man that suf- 
fereth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall 
receive the crown of life, which God hath promised 
to them that love Him/' Blessed, then, is he who 
is faithful to God in adversity. Some people 
think they are beloved of God when all their 
affairs go prosperously, and they have no 
troubles; but they complain because God does 
not try the patience and faithfulness of His 
servants by prosperity, but by adversity, in 
order to give them that crown which does 
not fade away, as do all the crowns of this 
life. This will be a crown of eternal glory, as St. 
Peter writes: ^'Ye shall receive a crown of glory 
that fadeth not away." To whom, then, is this 
crown promised? St. James says, ^^God has 
promised it to those who love Him." He has 
promised it again and again to those who love 
Him, because divine love makes us fight with 
courage and win the victory. 

To the love of God we must also join humility. 
The Preacher says, '^Gold and silver are tried in 
the fire, but acceptable men in the furnace of tribu- 
lation." It is in humiliation that saints are dis- 
covered, in which it is made known whether they 
are gold or lead. Such a one has been counted a 
saint; but when he receives an injury from an- 
other, he is all in an agitation ; he complains of it 
to every one ; he says he will make him repent of 
it. This is a sign of what he is ; it is a sign that 
he is lead. The Lord said, ' ' In thy humility have 
patience. ' ' The proud man, whatever humiliation 
he receives, considers it a great injustice, and, 
therefore, can not endure it ; but the humble man, 
accounting himself deserving of every evil treat- 



THE HIDDEN LIFE OF JESUS 



267 



ment, suffers all with patience. Let him who 
has committed a mortal sin cast a glance upon 
the hell that he deserved, and thus he will suffer 
with patience every contempt and every pain. 

Let us, then, love God, and be humble; and 
whatever we do, let us do it, not to please our- 
selves, but only to please God. 0 cursed self- 
love! which intrudes itself into all our works — 
even in our spiritual exercises, in meditation, in 
works of penance, and in all our pious works, it 
goes about seeking its own interests. Few are 
the devout souls who do not fall into this defect: 
^ ^ Who shall find a valiant woman ? Far and from 
the uttermost coasts is the price of her." Where 
shall we find a soul so brave that, despoiled of 
every passion and of every love for its own in- 
terests, goes on to love Jesus Christ in the midst 
of slights, pains, desolation of spirit, and weari- 
ness of life? Solomon said that these are gems 
of great price; they come from the ends of the 
world, and therefore are most rare. 

0 my crucified Jesus ! I am one who, even in my 
devotions, have gone about seeking my own 
pleasure and my own satisfaction, all unlike to 
Thee, who through love for me hast passed a life 
of trouble, deprived of every alleviation. Give 
me Thy help, that henceforth I may seek only 
Thy pleasure and Thy glory. I would love Thee 
without any other reward; but I am weak, Thou 
must give me the strength to accomplish it. Be- 
hold me ; I am Thine ; dispose of me as it pleases 
Thee ; make me love Thee, and I ask for nothing 
more. 0 Mary, my mother ! obtain for me faith- 
fulness to God, through thy intercession. 



268 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



FOUETH MEDITATION 
XTbe Baptism of Jesus— •ffi)umiUti^ 

Point I 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider the first public appearance of Jesus 
Christ. He came into this world to give testi- 
mony of the truth. Does He, then, begin His 
public life with an eloquent sermon, and ''speak 
as one having power" {MarJc i. 22)1 His en- 
trance into this world was an act of the deepest 
self-abasement. ''And the Word was made 
flesh ' ' (J ohn i. 14) . He ' ' emptied Himself, taking 
the form of a servant" {PMlipp. ii. 7). His first 
public appearance is likewise an act of profound 
humility, {a.) He approaches the Jordan and 
listens with great attention to John the Baptist. 
He is lost in the multitude of sinners as though 
He were one of them, (h.) He waits His turn, 
and enters the water to receive the baptism of 
penance. John protests, saying, "I ought to be 
baptized by Thee, and comest Thou to me ? " But 
Jesus only replies, "Suffer it to be so now. For 
so it becometh us to fulfil all justice" (Matt. iii. 
14-15). Consider the motives that prompt Jesus 
to give us this example. 

1. Pride is the beginning, the root of all sin, 
and of all evil {Eccliis. x. 15). It caused the fall 
of the angels and the expulsion of our first 
parents from paradise. Humility alone can 
remedy pride. "A contrite and humble heart, 0 
God, Thou wilt not despise." But "every proud 
man is an abomination to the Lord" (Prov. xvi. 
5). God resisteth the proud and giveth to the 
humble. 



THE BAPTISM OF JESUS 



269 



2. Pride deprives the heart of happiness. The 
Lord will destroy the house of the proud. But 
humility gives peace and happiness. Therefore 
the Saviour says to all, Learn of Me because I 
am meek and humble of heart, and you shall find 
rest for your souls. 

3. Pride causes man to rebel against God and 
His designs. ^^Who is the Lord" the proud man 
asks with Pharaoh, ^^that I should hear His 
voice!'' But humility subjects man to God in all 
things. Where humility is there is wisdom'' 
(Prov. xi. 2). 

4. Pride dries up the fount of grace and causes 
God to depart from the souL Pride is hateful 
before God and men" {Ecckis, x. 7). Only by 
humility can man draw nigh to God. ^'He hath 
had regard to the prayer of the humble; and He 
hath not despised their petition" (Ps. ci. 18). 
^^The prayer of him that humbleth himself shall 
pierce the clouds" {Ecclus. xxxv. 21). 

5. Pride deprives us of consolation from above 
in time of affliction. ^'The proud one shall fall, 
he shall fall down and there shall be none to lift 
him up" (Jer. 1. 32). ^'But God comforteth the 
humble" {2 Cor, vii. 6). 

6. Pride renders man's works barren for eter- 
nity. Only by humility can man draw the bless- 
ing of Heaven upon his labors. ' ' The Lord scat- 
tered the proud in the conceit of their heart 
. . . and hath exalted the humble" {Luke 
i. 51, 52). 

7. Pride begets hatred and contention {Prov. 
xiii. 10), but humility cements and maintains the 
bond of fraternal charity. Hence St. Peter (1 v. 
5) exhorts the faithful to practise humility to- 
ward one another. 

Behold, my soul, thy Saviour wishes to empha- 



270 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



size this virtue of humility. He insists upon it 
as the foundation of the spiritual life, as the key- 
to the treasures of grace, as the only means of 
partaking in the fruits of the Redemption. ' ' And 
he that will be first among you, shall be your 
servant" {Matt. xx. 27), He says. And again, 
''Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as 
this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom 
of Heaven" {Matt, xviii. 4). ''Behold," He 
says, after washing the feet of the disciples, "I 
have given you an example that as I have done to 
you so you do also" {John xiii. 15). 

Impress this example deeply in thy mind, 0 
self-deceiving Eeligious ! Thou wishest to be con- 
sidered pious, virtuous, zealous, though thy con- 
science tells thee that thou art wanting in many 
things. Give God the credit of His grace. Say 
with St. Paul, if thou hast aught of virtue, "I 
am by the grace of God what I am." Thou wish- 
est to be considered better than others, and dost 
feel offended when thy faults are discovered or 
criticized, and yet Jesus, thy model and exemplar, 
mingles with sinners and receives the baptism 
of penance. Thou dost fear continually that thy 
dignity be not regarded sufficiently, or that suffi- 
cient attention be not shown thee, and yet thy 
Saviour appears in public as a publican. How 
sensitive thou art when thou art humiliated by 
others, and yet thy Master humbles Himself be- 
fore all the people on His entrance to His public 
life. 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 God, I am a sinner, have mercy on me. How 
often have I permitted pride to actuate me and 
closed my eyes to the humility of my Saviour. I 
have been most anxious to have people think and 



THE BAPTISM OF JESUS 



271 



speak well of me and have thought little of Thy 
opinion of me. Cure my pride, make me ^^meek 
and humble of heart, ' ' so that I may deserve that 
peace which the world can not give. I desire to 
live in humility, according to the example of my 
divine Master. I desire to be humble, that I may 
receive the fulness of Thy grace and please Thee 
in all things. I desire to live without a thought 
for the opinion of men, without an act to gain the 
applause of men, but dear to the Holy Spirit, the 
Spirit of love, who dwells within my heart. 

Point II 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider, my soul, how at the sight of this pub- 
lic self-abasement of thy Saviour the heavens 
rejoice and proclaim to the world how pleasing 
this humble conduct is in the sight of God. As 
Jesus is baptized before the people, behold the 
heavens open. The voice of the heavenly Father 
resounds from above: ^^This is my well-beloved 
Son in whom I am well pleased.'' The Holy 
Spirit descends with the fulness of grace upon 
the humble God-Man in the form of a dove. And 
we can readily imagine the heavenly choirs in- 
visibly descending and rendering homage and 
serving the Saviour of the world. 

0 my soul, may this example of humility be 
indelibly written on thy heart. Eemember that 
the more humble thou art, the more will the 
heavenly Father exalt thee. The less thou think- 
est of thyself, the more will He esteem thee. The 
more thou renouncest the goods, pleasures, and 
honors of the world, the richer will be the treas- 
ures of grace which the Holy Spirit will confer 
upon thee. Behold thy Saviour! The Son of 



272 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



God out of love for humility sacrifices His honor 
to His heavenly Father and gives up what man 
prizes most, and lo, the heavens testify in the 
favor of Him, who humbly assumed the appear- 
ance of a sinner. The heavenly Father solemnly 
testifies: ''This is not a common mortal, this is 
not a sinner ; He is my well-beloved Son ! ' ' The 
Holy Spirit is so attracted by this humility that 
He hovers above the Saviour in the form of a 
dove: **And He saw the Spirit of God descend- 
ing as a dove, and coming upon Him" {Matt. iii. 
16). The Saviour begins His public career by an 
act of humility, but heaven glorifies this act by a 
public exultation. 0 my soul, does it require 
more than this to inspire thee with a great esteem 
and love for humility? By humility thou becom- 
est the well-beloved child of thy heavenly Father. 
By humility thou becomest not only a fit abode 
of the Holy Ghost, but also drawest His special 
graces upon thee. The very angels of heaven will 
come to minister to thee if thou imitatest faith- 
fully this sublime example of the living Saviour. 
Hasten to learn the first lesson of the public life 
of thy divine Master. 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 God, I would almost say in the words of 
Peter, ''Depart from me, 0 Lord, for I am a sin- 
ful man.'' But to whom shall I go? Thou hast 
the words of eternal life? I detest my sins, espe- 
cially my pride, which has led me into many trans- 
gressions. I detest that pride which has often 
saddened Thy heart and deprived me of Thy con- 
solations. I detest that pride which caused me 
to rebel against Thee, and made me unworthy to 
receive Thy holy helps and inspirations. I detest 
that pride which has rendered so many of my 



THE BAPTISM OF JESUS 273 



works barren of merit for eternity and caused me 
to offend my fellow-men. My Savionr appeared 
as a sinner, which He was not. I am a sinner and 
try to appear a saint. Have mercy on me, 0 
God. Give me Thy grace. Do not turn a deaf 
ear to my petitions. I desire to imitate my 
Saviour in his humility. I desire to be the least 
of Thy servants in order to please Thee. I would 
not give Thy good will for the opinion and favor 
of all the world. I desire to conform myself en- 
tirely to the great Model, the divine Exemplar, 
who hesitated not to humble Himself publicly for 
my sake. 

Resolution 

I resolve always to bear in mind the saying of 
St. John Chrysostom : ^ ' The saint who gives way 
to pride is a miserable beggar." The proud man 
is a day-laborer of the devil. ''A contrite 
and humble heart, 0 God, thou wilt not despise.'' 
^'I was humbled and He delivered me" {Ps. cxiv. 
6). ^^It is good for me that Thou hast humbled 
me, that I may learn Thy justifications" (Ps. 
cxviii. 71). ^^My sweetest Jesus, permit me not 
to separate myself from Thee." 0 my mother 
Mary, I have great confidence in thy intercession; 
obtain for me the grace to be meek and humble of 
heart. 



OPTIOITAL EEFLECTIONS 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

Our most lovely Redeemer, Jesus, willed to be 
called a lamb for this very reason, that He might 
show us how meek and humble He was Him- 



274 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



self. These were the virtues which He principally 
wished His followers to learn from Him : ' ' Learn 
from Me because I am meek and hmnble of heart. ' ' 
And these virtues He principally requires of Re- 
ligious who profess to imitate His most holy life. 

He who lives a solitary life in a desert has not 
so much need of these virtues; but for him who 
lives in a Community it is impossible not to meet 
now and then with a reprimand from his Supe- 
riors or something disagreeable from his com- 
panions. In such cases a Religious who loves not 
meekness will commit a thousand faults every 
day, and live a restless life. He must be all 
sweetness with everybody, with strangers, with 
companions, and also with inferiors, if he should 
ever become a Superior; and if he is an inferior, 
he must consider that one act of meekness in bear- 
ing contempt and reproach is of greater value to 
him than many fasts and disciplines. 

St. Francis said that many make their perfec- 
tion consist in exterior mortifications, and after 
all are not able to bear one injurious word. ' ' Not 
understanding,'^ he added, ^^how much greater 
gain is made by patiently bearing injuries. ' ' How 
many persons, as St. Bernard remarks, are all 
sweetness when nothing is said or done contrary 
to their inclination, but show their want of meek- 
ness as soon as anything crosses them ! 

And if one should ever be Superior, let him be- 
lieve that one reprimand made with meekness will 
profit his subjects more than a thousand made 
with severity. ^^The meek are useful to them- 
selves and to others," as St. John Chrysos- 
tom teaches. In a word, as the same saint said, 
the greatest sign of a virtuous soul is to see it 
meek on occasions of contradiction. A meek 
heart is the pleasure of the heart of God. ^'Tliat 



THE BAPTISM OF JESUS 



275 



which is agreeable to Him is faith and meekness'' 
{Ecclus. i. 34, 35). It would be well for a Eeligious 
to represent to himself in his meditations all the 
crosses that may happen to him, and thus arm 
himself against them ; and then when the occasion 
happens he should do violence to himself, that he 
may not be excited, and break out in impatience. 
Therefore he should refrain from speaking when 
his mind is disturbed, till he is certain that he 
has become calm again. 

But to bear injuries quietly, it is, above all, nec- 
essary to have a great fund of humility. He who 
is truly humble is not only unmoved when he sees 
himself despised, but is even pleased and rejoices 
at it in spirit, however the flesh may resent it ; for 
he sees himself treated as he deserves, and made 
conformable to Jesus Christ, who, worthy as He 
was of every honor, chose for the love of us to be 
satiated with contempt and injuries. Brother 
Juniper, a disciple of St. Francis, when an injury 
was done to him, held up his cowl, as if he ex- 
pected to receive pearls falling from heaven. The 
saints have been more desirous of injuries than 
worldlings are covetous of applause and honor. 
And of what use is a Eeligious who does not know 
how to bear contempt for God's sake! He is 
always proud, and only humble in name, and a 
hypocrite whom divine grace will repulse, as St. 
Peter says : ' ^ God resisteth the proud, but to the 
humble He giveth grace" {1 Peter v. 5). 

Prayer 

0 my most humble Jesus, who for the love of 
me didst humble Thyself and become obedient 
unto the death of the cross ! how have I the cour- 
age to appear before Thee, and call myself Thy 
follower! for I see myself to be such a sinner and 



276 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



SO proud that I can not bear a single injury with- 
out resenting it. Whence can come such pride in 
me, who for my sins have so many times deserved 
to be cast forever into hell with the devils? Ah, 
my despised Jesus, help me and make me con- 
formable to Thee. I will change my life. Thou 
for love of me hast borne so much contempt; I 
for love of Thee will bear every injury. Thou, 

0 my Eedeemer ! hast rendered contempt too hon- 
orable and desirable, since Thou hast embraced 
it with so much love during Thy life. ^'God for- 
bid that I should glory, save in the cross of Our 
Lord Jesus Christ" {GaL vi. 14). 

0 my most humble queen, Mary, mother of 
God ! thou who wast in all, and especially in suf- 
fering, the most conformed to thy Son, obtain for 
me the grace to bear in peace all injuries which 
henceforward shall be offered to me. Amen. 

EXAMINATION 

©n practical ffaitb 

Do I believe with St. Paul that ^'the just man 
liveth by faith"! Do worldly ambition and self- 
love inspire me to act, or is it the glory of God? 
Is it vanity or the love of God which sustains me f 
Is it self-will or God's will which guides me? Am 

1 anxious to see God or do I permit my mind 
and heart to be absorbed in earthly things ? Am 
I striving solely after ''the reward exceeding 
great" or am I influenced by human respect? Do 
I realize that whatever I do to the least of Christ's 
brethren I do it unto Him? Do I realize that it 
is human to love those who love us, but that it is 
divine to practise the corporal and spiritual works 
of mercy ? Do I recognize the hand of Providence 



THE BAPTISM OF JESUS 



277 



in the affairs of daily life! Have I rebelled 
against it? Have I intrigued for my own selfish 
ends? 

Do I realize that ^^the fear of the Lord is the 
beginning of wisdom"? Am I aware that God 
looks more to the loving heart than to a subtle 
mind? Do I acknowledge and pay the debt of 
gratitude I owe to God? Am I aware that Christ 
bought me at "an exceeding great price"? Can 
I honestly say with St. Peter, "Yea, Lord, Thou 
knowest that I love Thee"? Or have I given 
Him the Judas kiss by professing love while 
gratifying selfish nature? Am I convinced that 
I must prefer God's will to mine? Do I realize 
that God's will is made known to me by holy 
obedience? Am I guided more by personal likes 
than by authority in obeying my Superiors? Am 
I convinced that God permits daily crosses to try 
me? Do I murmur and complain easily? Am I 
convinced that to become like unto Christ I must 
be humbled, misjudged, and even persecuted? Do 
I even rejoice in contradictions? Do I frequently 
resolve to do all for the greater glory of God? 
out of love for Jesus and Mary? according to 
God's holy will? 

Protestation for a Happy Death. (See p. 77.) 

HYMN 

^be Soul Slgbfng for Jesus 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

This heart of mine is sighing, 

And yet I know not why ; 
Its sighs with love are laden, 

But whither do they fly? 



THE DAY OF FAITH 



My trembling heart, oli, tell me, 
"VMieref ore those bummg sighs ? 
"I sigh for God, I languish 
For Jesus," it replies. 

Sigh on, my heart, and cease not 
With sighs of love to swell; 

Spend all thy life in loving 
Him who loves thee so well. 

Sigh on, and let thy Jesus 
Alone possess thy breast, 

And all thy hope in Mary 
With childlike spirit rest. 

Send f oith thy sighs like arrows 
To womid thy conqu'roi^s heart, 

Then hope for gifts the choicest 
His goodness can impart. 

My trembling sighs, ah, hasten, 

To J esus haste away ; 
Then at His feet take refuge. 

And there forever stay. 

Say that a heart all burning 
With love has sent you there 

And ask what it shall bid jon, 
For He will grant its prayer. 

To love with all its being 

Is all the gift it sues ; 
Ask ; for to one that loves Him 

Xo prayer can God refuse. 



THE SIXTH DAY 



H Dai? of (5enero0iti? 

Dedicated to the Spirit of Understanding 

Disposition. — Generosity. 

Motto. — ''Leave all, and follow me!" 

The Special End of this day's exercises is to 
inspire the soul to follow Jesns, her guide, and to 
imitate Mary, her model, with generosity and 
fervor, so that she may realize the Christian 
Ideal in life. 

Reading. — ^''Eeligious Poverty, Chastity, and 
Mortification ' ' from your Eules and Constitutions. 

PRAYER TO OBTAIN THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING 

Holy Spirit, divine consoler, I adore Thee as 
my true God, just as I adore God the Father and 
God the Son. I bless Thee by uniting myself to 
the blessings that Thou dost receive from the 
angels and seraphs. I offer Thee my heart, and I 
render Thee heartfelt thanks for all the benefits 
that Thou hast bestowed and dost unceasingly 
bestow upon the world. Thou who art the author 
of all supernatural gifts, and who didst enrich 
with immense favors the soul of the blessed Vir- 
gin Mary, the mother of God, I beseech Thee to 
visit me by Thy grace and Thy love, and to grant 
me the gift of Understanding, in order that I may 
be able to understand the divine mysteries, and 
by the contemplation of heavenly things detach 

279 



280 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



my thoughts and affections from this miserable 
world. 

One Our Father^ one Hail Mary, Glory he to the 
Father, three times. 

THOUGHTS AND EJACULATIONS 

My God, I desire Thee alone and nothing more. 

Thon hast waited for me that I might love 
Thee. Yes, I will love Thee. 

My Jesus, make me all Thine before I die. 

Deign to accept the love of a sinner who has 
so often offended Thee. 

Give me the love Thou requirest of me. 

I give Thee my whole will; dispose of me as 
Thou pleasest. 

0 virgin Mother, draw me wholly to God. 



FIEST MEDITATION 
XLbc JFtrst Disciples— (Benerous iResolve 

Point I 

CONSIDEKATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

St. John the Evangelist relates: "The next 
day again John stood, and two of His disciples. 
And beholding Jesus walking he saith: ^Behold 
the Lamb of God.' And the two disciples heard 
Him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus 
turning and seeing them following Him, saith to 
them, 'What seek you?' Who said to Him, 
'Eabbi, . . . where dwellest thou?' He saith 
to them, 'Come and see.' They came and saw 
where He abode, and they staved with Him that 
day" (Jo/in i. 35-39). 



THE FIRST DISCIPLES 



281 



Consider the promptness with which these dis- 
ciples followed Jesus. They are disciples of the 
Baptist and much attached to him. He points 
to Jesus passing by and tells them to follow Him. 
This required a sacrifice on their part. But they 
hesitate not a moment. They prove their honesty 
and sincerity by their conduct. They stay the 
whole day with Jesus, listen joyfully to his dis- 
courses, and share with Him the privations of 
the desert. 

1. They generously leave John who had given 
them many instructions. They seemed to have 
heard in anticipation the words of the Saviour: 
^ ^ Every one of you that doth not renounce all that 
he possesseth, can not be My disciple" {Luke xiv. 
33). 

2. They stay all day with the Saviour in the 
desert to hear His instructions. Filled with en- 
thusiasm for their new master, they then set out 
to bring new disciples to the Saviour. Andrew 
findeth first his brother Simon and saith to him, 
^We have found the Messias . . . and he 
brought him to Jesus' " {John i. 41, 42). 

It was a great, a precious moment of grace for 
these disciples when Jesus was passing by. If 
they had not promptly availed themselves of it 
they would perhaps never have been apostles. 
The operations of grace, my soul, are often like 
the Saviour passing at a distance. The Holy 
Spirit calls, moves, and strengthens thee inte- 
riorly and then passes on. If thou dost not in- 
stantly set to work with great generosity thou 
wilt lament what is written in Job : ^ ^ God speak- 
eth once, and repeateth not the self-same thing the 
second time" (xxxiii. 14). Oh, how many times 
hast thou jeopardized thy welfare by thy negli- 
gence in obeying the inspirations of the Holy 



282 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



Ghost! How many times has the Holy Ghost 
admonished thee during retreat, at prayer, in mo- 
ments of recollection ! Wilt thou continue to act 
thus after this retreat also! Behold the Saviour 
in the different events of His life is passing by 
during this retreat, and the divine Teacher, the 
Holy Spirit, is calling thy attention to many 
things. He points out to thee the faults and the 
harm of thy present conduct. He points out to 
thee what thou shouldst do especially to become 
more conformable to the divine Model. Wilt thou , 
answer these inspirations promptly! Wilt thou 
form definite resolves, energetic resolutions! 
Wilt thou set to work immediately to carry them 
out as soon as possible! 

AFFECTIONS AND PRAYERS 

0 holy Spirit, who breathest where Thou wilt, 
how often hast Thou come to me with Thy holy 
inspirations, and how often have I turned a deaf 
ear to Thy gentle pleadings ! 0 yes, I see, when 
I look back on my past life, that I might now be 
in reality a saint if I had followed Thy voice with 
the promptness and generosity of these disciples. 
How many graces have I thrown away, how many 
opportunities of gaining merit have I let pass by ! 
And Thou hast not deserted me after all my cold- 
ness, all my indifference! I repent with all my 
heart of my past conduct. Would that I could 
undo the past by my promptness, my fidelity in 
the future. I now resign myself unreservedly 
into Thy hands. I wish to do Thy holy will in 
all things. I desire to love and serve Thee with 
all my strength. I consecrate myself entirely to 
Thy service. I desire to live and die always 
united to Thee. 



THE FIRST DISCIPLES 



283 



Point II 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

My soul, thou hast no doubt resolved to imitate 
thy divine Saviour, to follow in the footsteps of 
Him whom the Holy Spirit points out as thy 
model and exemplar. No doubt Thou art now in 
earnest. Thou hast certainly during these days 
renewed thy fervor and art now prepared in- 
stantly to obey every divine inspiration. But how 
wilt thou follow Jesus? in what way, in what 
frame of mind, with what courage, with what de- 
termination, under what inspiration from on 
High? John and Andrew followed Jesus not only 
to converse with Him, but, as it proved, to become 
His permanent disciples. But had they the right 
intention, the necessary courage and determina- 
tion for such a life! The Saviour wished them 
to speak for themselves and asked them, ^'What 
seek ye r ' That is, what motive have- you in 
coming to Me! Is it for God's glory, for the good 
of your souls! What do you expect to find with 
me! A life of ease and comfort! A life without 
exertion or sacrifice, of worldly glory and renown! 
Do you wish to follow Me absolutely, entirely, un- 
reservedly! 

My soul, the Holy Spirit also addresses the self- 
same question to thee, **What seekest thou!" 
Dost thou really desire to be My pupil and keep 
thy gaze upon Him, whom I have placed before thy 
eyes as thy model and exemplar! But, consider 
what thou wishest to express with this resolution. 
Give an answer to thyself, an answer to this ques- 
tion of the Holy Spirit. Does this resolution of 
thine rest on a solid foundation! Does it arise 
solely from the desire of living solely for God and 
securing the eternal welfare of thy immortal 



284 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



soul at any price ? Bear in mind that whatever 
is not built on solid foundation, on bed-rock, will 
not last. How much courage, how much zeal, how 
much determination hast thou ? Do not think that 
thou canst serve God and the world also. The 
Saviour has said; ^^No man can serve two mas- 
ters. For either he will hate the one and love the 
other, or he will sustain the one and despis'e the 
other. You can not serve God and Mammon" 
{Matt. vi. 24). If thou art honest in the service 
of God and with the inspirations of the Holy 
Ghost, then thou wilt break with the world and 
take its scorn, hatred, and enmity upon thyself 
whenever the service of God requires it. Eepeat 
the question, ''What seekest thouT' Dost thou 
seek to follow only to a certain degree ! ' ' If any 
one will come after Me," says Christ, *'let him 
deny himself, and take up his cross dailv and fol- 
low Me" {Luke ix. 23). ''The kingdom of 
Heaven suffereth violence and the violent bear it 
away" {Matt. xi. 12). "What seekest thou?" 
the Holy Spirit asks thee again. Perhaps thou 
art prepared to avoid mortal sin, but to go no 
further. Oh, do not be so cowardly! Do not 
place a limit to the operation of the Holy Spirit. 
Say, rather, "I will follow Thee, let it cost what 
it may." Canst thou say this with all honesty, 
with all sincerity? Then the Holy Spirit will 
also answer thee, ' ' Come, therefore, and see. Fol- 
low Me, I accept thee as my child." 

AFFECTIONS AND PRAYERS 

0 God, I ought to be leading a life of perfec- 
tion, but instead I am continually committing sin. 
Tlaere was a time when I followed Thee courage- 
ously like Thy first disciples, but I have not kept 
up my first fervor. My weak nature and tlie 



THE FIRST DISCIPLES 



285 



example of others have caused me to relax my ef- 
forts. I regret and detest this weakness. Be 
Thou henceforth my strength. I desire to fol- 
low my divine Master perfectly in the future. I 
wish to do this for the glory of God and the good 
of my soul. Countless numbers have succeeded 
in this; why can not I, with the grace of God! 
I wish to serve Him not as I will but as Thou 
wilt, 0 holy Spirit. I desire to follow every- 
where without any limitation or restriction. I 
desire to follow alike in agreeable and in un- 
pleasant things. I will be Thine entirely; I con- 
secrate myself to Thy service now and forever. 

Resolution 

I resolve often to call to mind the words of St. 
Augustine: ''These ones have done it, such 
others have done it, why should not I do it?" 
*'As the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king 
liveth, either in death, or in life, there 
will Thy servant be" (2 Kings xv. 21). 0 Lord, 
give me a determined good will and the grace to 
fulfil it. ''Confirm, 0 God! what Thou hast 
wrought in us" {Ps. Ixvii. 29). Give me light, 
give me strength, give me love. 0 Mary, who art 
the treasurer of graces, assist me, accept me for 
thy servant and pray for me. Through the merits 
of Jesus Christ first, and then through thy 
prayers, I hope to keep this resolution. 

OPTIONAL REFLECTIONS 

f . perfect IReslgnation to tbe 2)ivlne OTll 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

"My meat is to do His will." So said Jesus 
Christ, speaking of Himself. In this mortal life, 



286 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



meat or food is that wliich preserves our life ; and, 
therefore, Our Lord said that it was His meat to 
do the will of the Father. This also ought to be 
the meat of all souls. ' ' Life is in His will. ' ' Our 
life consists in doing the divine will ; he that does 
not fulfil it is dead. 

The Wise Man writes: ^'They that are faithful 
in love shall rest in Him." They who are little 
faithful in loving God will desire that He should 
agree with them, that He should conform Him- 
self to their pleasure, and do whatever they de- 
sire ; but they who love God agree with Him, and 
unite their wills to His will, and are satisfied with 
everything that God does with them, and with 
all their circumstances; and in every adversity 
that afflicts them, whether sickness, dishonor, 
weariness, loss of property or of kindred, they 
ever have on their lips and in their heart those 
words, ^^Thy will be done," which is the constant 
expression of saints. 

God OTLLj desires that which is best for us, that 
which is for our sanctification. Let us take care, 
therefore, to quiet our own will, uniting it ever to 
the will of God ; and thus we shall be able, also, to 
quiet our mind, recollecting that everything that 
God does is the best thing that can befall us. Who- 
ever does not do this will never find true peace. 
All the perfection that can be attained in this 
world, which is a place of purification, and conse- 
quently' a place of pains and troubles, consists in 
suffering patiently those things that are opposed 
to our self-love; and, in order to suffer with pa- 
tience, there is no more efficacious means than a 
willingness to suffer in order to do the will of 
God. "Submit thyself, then to Him, and be at 
peace." He that agrees with the divine will in 
everything is always at peace, and nothing that 



THE FIRST DISCIPLEB 



287 



happens to him can make him miserable. ^'It will 
not make the just man sad, whatever shall befall 
him." But why is the just man never miserable 
under any circumstances! Because he knows well 
that whatever happens in the world, happens 
through the will of God. 

The divine will, so to say, draws out all the 
thorns and bitterness of the tribulations that come 
upon us in this world. The hymn which speaks 
of the divine will thus sings: ^^Thou changest 
crosses into joys; Thou makest even death to be 
sweet; he that can unite himself to Thee knows 
neither cross nor fear. Oh, how worthy art Thou 
of love, 0 Thou will of God." 

Behold the excellent counsel of St. Peter, in 
order to find a perfect peace in the midst of the 
toils of this present life : ' ' Casting all your cares 
upon Him; for He has care for you." And if it 
is God who thus gives thought for our good, why 
should we weary ourselves with so many anxieties, 
as if our happiness depended on our own cares, 
and not rather abandon ourselves into the hands 
of God, upon whom all depends I ^ ' Cast thy care 
upon the Lord," says David, ^'and He shall nour- 
ish thee." Let us strive to obey God in every- 
thing He commands us and advises us, and then 
let us leave to Him the care of our salvation, and 
He will take care to give us all the means that are 
necessary in order that we may be saved: ''Thy 
soul shall be saved, because thou hast had confi- 
dence in Me." Whosoever places his whole con- 
fidence in God is sure of eternal salvation. In a 
word, whoever does the will of God enters into 
paradise; and he that does it not, enters not. 
Some people trust their eternal salvation to cer- 
tain devotions, or to certain outward works of 
piety, and yet do not the will of God. But Jesus 



288 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



Christ says: ^'Not every one that saith to Me, 
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of 
heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father, 
he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." 

Thus, if we desire to be saved, and to acquire 
a perfect union with God, let us take care to be 
ever offering up the prayer of David: ''Teach 
me, 0 Lord, to do Thy will." And for this pur- 
pose, let us strip ourselves of our own will, and 
give it wholly to God without reserve. Where 
we give our property in alms, our food in fastings, 
our blood in scourgings, we give Him what we 
possess ; but when we give Him our will, we give 
Him ourselves entirely; wherefore he that gives 
to God all his will is able to say, ''Lord, having 
given Thee all my will, I have nothing more to give 
Thee." The sacrifice of our own will is the most 
acceptable sacrifice we can make to God ; and God 
pours forth His graces abundantly upon him who 
makes it. 

This sacrifice, however, in order to be perfect, 
must have two conditions : it must be without re- 
serve, and it must be constant. Some persons 
give to God their will, but with a certain reserve ; 
and little does this gift please God. Others give 
Him their will, but speedily they take it back 
again ; and such persons place themselves in great 
peril of being abandoned by God; so that it is 
necessary that all our strength, and desires, and 
prayers, should be directed to obtain from God 
perseverance in doing only what He wills. Let 
us, then, day by day, renew to God our total renun- 
ciations of our own will, and constantly take care 
to seek and ask for nothing which is not accord- 
ing to the will of God. And thus will cease within 
us passions, desires, fears, and all ino^Tlinate af- 
fections. The Barefooted Nun of St. Clare, 



THE FIRST DISCIPLES 



289 



Sister Margaret of the Cross, a daughter of the 
Emperor Maximilian, when she became quite 
blind, was wont to say, ^'How can I desire to see, 
when God wills it notr^ 

Eeceive, 0 God of my soul ! the sacrifice of my 
whole will and my whole liberty. I say that I have 
deserved that Thou shouldst turn Thy back upon 
me, and refuse this gift of mine, so often have 
I been unfaithful to Thee; but I learn that Thou 
dost again command me to love Thee with all my 
heart, and therefore I am sure Thou wilt receive 
it. I resign myself, then, wholly to Thy will ; make 
me to know what Thou wilt, that I may be able 
to accomplish it all. Make me love Thee, and 
then dispose of me and all my affairs as it pleases 
Thee. I am in Thy hands ; do what Thou knowest 
to be most expedient for my eternal salvation; 
while I declare that I desire Thee alone, and noth- 
ing more. 

0 Mother of God! do thou obtain for me the 
gift of holy perseverance. 



irir» a Bart of J'lre— 0oD HnnibflateD 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

^'He emptied Himself" (Philipp. ii. 7). 

Behold the only-begotten Son of God, omnipo- 
tent and true God, equal to the Father, born a 
little infant in a stable. "He emptied Himself, 
taking the form of a servant, being made to the 
likeness of men." If any one would see God, as 
it were, reduced to nothingness, let him enter 
into the cave of Bethlehem, and he will find Him 
as a little infant, bound in swaddling clothes, so 
that He can not move, weeping and trembling with 



290 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



cold. Ah, lioly faith, whose son is this poor child! 
Faith answers, ^^He is the Son of God, and He 
is true God." And what has brought Him to so 
miserable a condition? It was the love He had 
for men. And yet there are men to be found who 
do not love this God! 

Thou, then, my Jesus, hast spent all Thy life 
amidst sorrows to make me understand the love 
Thou dost bear me, and I have spent my life in 
displeasing Thee by my sins ! Ah, make me know 
the evil I have committed, and the love which 
Thou desirest to have. But since Thou hast 
borne with me till now, permit me not to give Thee 
any more cause for sorrow. Inflame me alto- 
gether with Thy love, and remind me always of 
all Thou hast suffered for me, that from this day 
forth I may forget every worldly thing, and think 
of nothing but loving and pleasing Thee. Thou 
didst come on earth to reign in our hearts ; take, 
then, from my heart all that could prevent Thee 
from possessing it entirely! Make my will be 
wholly conformed to Thy will; may Thy will be 
mine, and may it be the rule of all my actions and 
desires. 



OPTIONAL READINGS 

•ff. /iRarSt /IftoDel ot IbumiUts 

{From St. AlpJionsus) 

Humility, says St. Bernard, is the foundation 
and guardian of the virtues ; and with reason, for 
without humility a soul can possess no other 
virtue. Let her possess all the virtues, they will 
all quickly depart when humility departs. On the 
other hand St. Francis de Sales said that God 
so loves humility that He instantly hastens to the 



THE FIRST DISCIPLES 



291 



soul in which He sees it. This virtue, so lovely 
and so necessary, was unknown in the world; but 
the Son of God Himself came on earth to teach 
it by His example, and He desired that in this we 
should especially strive to imitate Him. Learn 
of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart." 
And Mary, as she was the first and most perfect 
disciple of Jesus Christ in all the virtues, was so 
in that of humility, by which she merited to be 
exalted above all creatures. It was revealed to 
St. Matilda that the virtue which the Blessed Vir- 
gin especially practised from childhood was hu- 
mility. 

The first act of humility of heart is to have an 
humble opinion of ourselves ; and Mary always 
thought so lowly of herself, that although she saw 
so many more graces bestowed upon her than 
upon others, she preferred all others to herself. 
Not that the Blessed Virgin esteemed herself a 
sinner, for humility is truth, as St. Teresa says, 
and Mary knew that she had never offended God, 
nor that she did not confess having received 
greater graces from God than any other creature, 
for an humble heart always acknowledges the spe- 
cial favors of the Lord, that it may humble itself 
the more; but the divine mother, by the greater 
light she had to see the infinite goodness of her 
God, saw still more her own littleness, and there- 
fore more than all others did she humble herself. 
''Approaching Him I find myself black," as St. 
Bernard explains it, ''Yes," adds St. Bernardine, 
"for the Blessed Virgin had always present be- 
fore her eyes the divine Majesty and her own 
nothingness." As a beggar clothed with costly 
garments which had been given to him is not made 
proud by it, but humbles himself more before the 
giver, because he is reminded then of his poverty ; 



292 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



thus Mary, the more she saw herself enriched, 
the more humble she became, remembering that all 
was the gift of God; whence she herself said to 
St. Elizabeth, a Benedictine nun: ''Know for cer- 
tain that I esteemed myself most abject, and un- 
worthy of the grace of God." ''And, therefore," 
says St. Bernadine, "no creature in the world has 
been more exalted, because no creature has ever 
humbled herself more than she." 

Moreover, it is an act of humility to conceal the 
gifts of heaven. Mary wished to conceal from St. 
Joseph the grace of having been made the mother 
of God, although it seemed necessary to make it 
known to him, in order, at least, to remove from 
the mind of her poor spouse the suspicions he 
might have of her virtue, when he saw her with 
child; or at least his perplexity, for in fact St. 
Joseph, on the one side, unwilling to doubt the 
virtue of Mary, and, on the other, igTiorant of the 
mystery, in order to free himself from perplexity 
was minded to put her away privately and if the 
angel had not revealed the mystery to him, he 
would really have left her. 

Moreover, an humble soul also refuses praise 
and gives it all to God. Behold, Mary is dis- 
turbed at hearing herself praised by St. Gabriel. 
And when St. Elizabeth said to her, "Blessed art 
thou among women . . . and whence is this 
to me, that the mother of my Lord should come 
to me. . . . Blessed art thou that hast be- 
lieved, etc.," Mary, referring all these praises to 
God, answered with that humble canticle: "My 
soul doth magnify the Lord," as if she had said: 
"You praise me, 0 Elizabeth, but I praise the 
Lord, to whom all honor is due ; you wonder that 
I come to you, and I wonder at the divine good- 
ness in which alone my spirit exults. 'And my 



THE FIRST DISCIPLES 



293 



spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.' Yon 
praise me because I have believed; I praise my 
God, because He has wished to exalt my nothing- 
ness, because He hath regarded the humility of 
His handmaid. ' ' Hence Mary said to St. Bridget : 
^'Why did I humble myself so far, or why have 
I merited so much grace, unless because I thought 
and knew that of myself and from myself I was 
nothing, and had nothing 1 therefore I would have 
no praise for myself, but only for the Giver and 
Creator/' Wherefore, speaking of the humility 
of Mary, St. Augustine says: '^0 truly blessed 
humility, which has brought forth God to men, 
opened paradise, and liberated souls from her." 

It is also a part of humility to serve others ; and 
Mary did not refuse to go and serve Elizabeth for 
three months. Wherefore St. Bernard has said: 
^'Elizabeth wondered that Mary should come to 
visit her, but she should wonder still more that she 
did not come to be ministered unto, but to minis- 
ter." The humble retire and choose the lowest 
place; and therefore, as St. Bernard remarks, 
Mary, when her Son was preaching in a certain 
house, as St. Matthew relates, wished to speak 
with Him, but would not enter the house unbidden. 
Therefore, when she was in the upper room" 
with the apostles she took the lowest place, as St. 
Luke has related. ''^AU these were persevering 
with one mind in prayer, with the women and 
Mary the mother of Jesus." Not that St. Luke 
did not know the merit of the divine mother, on ac- 
count of which he should have given her the first 
place ; but because she had taken the lowest, after 
the apostles and the other women, therefore St. 
Luke described all, as a certain author remarks, 
just in the order of their places. Hence St. Ber- 
nard says: ^'Justly has the last become first, who, 



294 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



when she was first of all, became last." Finally, 
the humble love contempt; therefore we do not 
find that Mar^^ appeared in Jerusalem on Palm 
Sunday, when her Son was received with so much 
honor by the people ; but, on the other hand, at the 
time of the death of her Son, she did not shrink 
from appearing in public on Calvary through 
fear of the disgrace of being known as the mother 
of one who was condemned as a criminal to die 
an infamous death. Therefore she said to St. 
Bridget: ''What more contemptible than to be 
called a fool, to be in want of all things, to be- 
lieve oneself the most unworthy of all? Such, 
0 daughter, was my humility, this was my joy, 
this my entire will. I thought of nothing but 
to please my Son." 

The venerable Sister Paula of Foligno was 
given to understand in an ecstacy how great was 
the humility of the holy Virgin. In relating what 
she had seen to her confessor, she said, scarcely 
able to utter the words through astonishment: 
' ' 0 the humility of the Blessed Virgin ! 0 Father, 
0 the humility of our Blessed Lady ! In the world 
there is no humility, not even the lowest degree of 
humility, to be compared with the humility of 
Mary." And Our Lord, at another time, showed 
St. Bridget two females, one all pomp and vanity : 
''This one," He said, "is Pride; but the other 
whom you see with her head bent down, respect- 
ful to all, having God alone in her mind, and hav- 
ing no esteem for herself, is Humility, and she 
is called Mary." By this God wished to make 
known to us that His blessed mother was so hum- 
ble that she was humility itself. 

It is not to be doubted, as St. Gregory of Nyssa 
says, that for our nature, corrupted by sin, there 
is perhaps no virtue more difficult to iDractise than 



THE FIRST DISCIPLES 



295 



humility. But there is no escape; we can never 
be true children of Mary if we are not humble. 
^^If/' says St. Bernard, ''you can not imitate the 
virginity, imitate the humility of the humble Vir- 
gin. She abhors the proud, she invites none to 
come to her but the humble: 'Whosoever is a 
little one, let him come to me.' "Mary,'' says 
Eichard, "protects us under the mantle of hu- 
mility." The Mother of God herself explained 
this to St. Bridget, saying, "Come, then, 0 my 
daughter, and hide thyself under my mantle ; this 
mantle is my humility." And she then added, 
that the contemplation of her humility was a good 
mantle, that keeps us warm; but, as she after- 
ward said: "The mantle only warms him who 
wears it, not only in thought but in fact ; thus my 
humility does not profit unless every one strives 
to imitate it. Therefore, my daughter," she con- 
cludes, "clothe thyself with this humility." Oh, 
how dear to Mary is the humble soul! St. 
Bernard writes : "The Virgin recognizes and loves 
those who love her, and she is near to all who 
invoke her, especially to those whom she sees 
like herself in chastity and humility." Where- 
fore the saint then exhorts all those who love Mary 
to be humble: "Emulate this virtue if you love 
Mary." Martino Alberto of the Society of Jesus, 
through love of the Blessed Virgin, was ac- 
customed to sweep the house and collect the dirt. 
The divine mother once appeared to him, as 
Father Nieremberg relates in his Life, and, as 
if thanking him, said: "How dear to me is this 
humble action done for love of me!" Then, 0 
my queen, I shall never be a true child of thine, 
if I am not humble. But do you not see that my 
sins, after having rendered me ungrateful to my 
Lord, have also made me proud? Oh, my mother, 



296 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



cure me ; by thy merits obtain for me that I may 
be humble, and thus become a child of thine. 
Amen. 

•ffir. fortification 

**If any man will come after Me, let him deny 
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." 
This is all that any one who wishes to be a fol- 
lower of Jesus Christ has to do. The denying of 
oneself is the mortification of self-love. Do we 
wish to be saved? We must, then, conquer all 
to make sure of all. How miserable is the soul 
that allows itself to be guided by self-love ! Mor- 
tification is of two kinds — internal and external: 
by interior mortification we have to study to con- 
quer our passions, and especially our predomi- 
nant one. A person who does not overcome his 
predominant passion is in great danger of being 
lost ; whereas he who has overcome that will easily 
conquer all the others. Some, however, allow one 
vice to predominate in themselves, and think that 
they are good, because they do not see in them- 
selves vices which others have. ^^But what does 
it matter 1 ' ' says St. Cyril ; ' ^ one leak is sufficient 
to sink the ship." Nor will it suffice to say, '^I 
can not abstain from this vice"; a resolute will 
conquers all ; that is, of course, with the assistance 
of God, who will never fail us. 

External mortification has to do with conquer- 
ing the sensual appetites. Worldly people call 
the saints cruel when they deny their bodies all sat- 
isfaction of the senses and chastize them with hair- 
shirts, disciplines, and other penances. *'But," 
says St. Bernard, ^ ^ they are in reality much more 
cruel to themselves, who condemn themselves to 
burn forever in hell for the sake of the short and 
miserable pleasures of this life." Others say 



THE FIRST DISCIPLES 



297 



that all forbidden pleasures should be denied to 
the body ; but they despise external mortifications, 
saying that interior mortification is what is re- 
quired ; that is, the mortification of the will. Yes, 
it is principally necessary to mortify the will, but 
the mortification of the flesh is also necessary, 
because, when the flesh is not mortified, it will 
be hard to be obedient to God. St. John of the 
Cross said, that any one who taught that external 
mortification was not necessary ought not to be 
believed even though he worked miracles. But 
let us come to the practice of it. 

In the first place, the eyes must be mortified. 
The first arrows which wound the soul and often 
kill it, enter through the eyes. The eyes are, as 
it were, grappling-irons of hell, which drag souls, 
as if by main force, into sin. A certain pagan 
philosopher voluntarily put out his eyes to free 
himself from impurity. It is not lawful for us to 
pluck out our eyes, but we ought to make them 
blind by means of mortification ; otherwise we shall 
find it difficult to keep ourselves chaste. St. Francis 
de Sales said: ^^You must close the gates, if you 
do not wish the enemy to enter into the citadel.'^ 
"We must, then, abstain from looking at any ob- 
ject that may give occasion to temptation; and 
when by chance our eyes light on some dangerous 
object, let us take care not to fix them on it.'' 
**It is not so much the mere seeing," said St. 
Francis de Sales, '^but the inspecting and con- 
tinuing to look, that is the cause of ruin." Let 
us, then, be very careful in mortifying our eyes; 
because many are now in hell on account of sins 
of sight. 

In the second place, we must mortify the tongue, 
by abstaining from words of detraction, or of 
abuse or immodesty. An immodest word spoken 



298 A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



in conversation, even in jest, may prove a scandal 
to others, and be the cause of a thousand sins aris- 
ing from it. And it should be observed, that 
sometimes a word of double meaning, said in a 
witty way, does more harm than a word openly 
impure. 

In the third place, we must mortify the taste. 
St. Andrew Avellino said, that in order to begin 
to live a good Christian life, a man must begin to 
mortify his palate. And St. Francis de Sales 
said, ^^We must eat to live, not live to eat.'' 
Many seem to live only to eat, and thus they de- 
stroy the health both of their soul and body. But 
the worst is, that intemperance in eating and 
drinking is often the cause of many impure temp- 
tations. '^But how is this!" says some one; 
''must I eat no more?" No, my good friend, we 
must eat to preserve our life, but like rational 
beings. Especially if you desire to be free from 
impure temptations, abstain from eating over- 
much meat, and from overmuch wine. The Scrip- 
ture says : ' ' Give not wine to kings. ' ' By a king 
is meant one who brings his flesh under the do- 
minion of reason. Eegret not having sometimes to 
fast or to abstain, especially on a Saturday, in 
honor of the most holy Mary. Many do so on 
bread and water ; what is the least you do on the 
vigils of the seven principal feasts of our Ladyf 
I pray you to observe at least the fasts of obliga- 
tion. Some make a meal out of their ''collation" 
and say, "It is sufficient if I am not satisfied." 
That is not right. The most that can be taken 
on the evenings of fast days of obligation is eight 
ounces; and even that has grown up by custom; 
for in olden times food could be taken only once a 
day. 

in the fourth place, we must mortify our hear- 



THE MULTIPLICATION OF BREAD 299 

ing and our touch : the hearing, by avoiding listen- 
ing to uncharitable, disobedient, or dangerous con- 
versations ; the touch by using all possilble caution, 
as well in regard to others as in regard to our- 
selves. Great reserve is a part of religious mod- 
esty. 



SECOND MEDITATION 

XTbe /a^ttltiplicatton of JSrea^— Gonfibence 
in (3ob 

Point I 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider the wonderful multiplication of 
bread, as related by the four Evangelists, and im- 
press deeply on thy mind and heart the lesson 
which the Holy Ghost teaches thee on this oc- 
casion. 

See how the words of Our Lord, ' ' Seek ye there- 
fore first the kingdom of God and His justice and 
all these things shall be added unto you" {Matt. 
vi. 33), were fulfilled in a most wonderful manner 
in behalf of the multitude that followed Him into 
the desert. The people manifest a great zeal on 
this occasion. They interrupt their journey to 
the celebration in Jerusalem and follow the 
Saviour into the desert. They heed not the dif- 
ficulty of the way nor the burning heat of the 
sun. They listen eagerly all day to the Saviour 
without thinking of their bodily wants. They 
hunger for the word of salvation which the great 
Prophet gives them, and are intent to lose no 
word. While the apostles worry about provi- 
sions, the multitude is absorbed in the Saviour and 



300 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



His preacMng. Such zeal can certainly not go 
unrewarded. The Saviour has compassion on the 
multitude in a wonderful way and provides for 
all. It has always been thus. God has never 
abandoned those who served Him with their whole 
heart and joyfully made sacrifices for love of Him. 
^'I have been young and now am old," says the 
Psalmist, '^and I have not seen the just forsaken, 
nor his seed seeking bread" {Ps. xxxvi. 25). 

Behold, my soul, how pleasing zeal for God's 
word is to thy divine Saviour. See how bounti- 
fully he repays the confidence of the people. The 
Holy Spirit will do the same for thee if thou 
follow Christ generously according to His inspi- 
rations. If thou do not fear exertions and priva- 
tion for God's sake, if thou treasure the truths 
of salvation and strive diligently to acquire vir- 
tue, thou need not fear. This is what thy Saviour 
wishes to bring home to thee. He has compas- 
sion on the sorrowful. He blesses the children. 
And He rewards the generosity of all who fol- 
lowed Him by performing a great miracle in their 
favor. This has at all times been the conduct of 
God toward those who were prepared to follow 
Him with true zeal in the practice of virtue. ^'Let 
them trust in Thee," therefore says the Psalmist, 
^'Who know Thy name, for Thou hast not for- 
saken them that seek Thee, 0 Lord" {Ps. ix. 11). 

Examine thyself, my soul, on this point; hast 
thou always had an unshaken confidence in God? 
Dost thou not find that whenever thou didst make 
a serious mistake in life it was owing to a want 
of this confidence? That whenever thou didst 
rely more on thy strength than on God's infinite 
goodness, thou didst sutfer in consequence? Re- 
animate thy faith, therefore, my soul. Be gen- 
erous with God. Be willing to make any sacrifice 



THE MULTIPLICATION OF BREAD 301 

for His sake. Then rest assured tliat if need be 
the Holy Spirit will perform a miracle to protect 
thee and keep thee from all harm. 

AFFECTIONS AND PKAYEES 

0 God of love and goodness, is it possible that 
I should not confide implicitly in thee after Thou 
hast given me so many signs of Thy good will? 
I deplore my blindness, my shortsightedness, my 
want of confidence. I regret that I have thus 
given offence to Thy loving heart. Thou art, in- 
deed, a tender father toward me; why, then, 
should I not confide implicitly in Thee? 0 give 
me a share in the confidence that the multitude 
manifested to my Eedeemer in the desert. Make 
me anxious for my spiritual good. Inflame my 
heart with a burning zeal for Thy honor and 
glory. Give me the grace necessary to attain 
my end, to practise every virtue perfectly. This 
is my wish, this my desire. Thou who art all 
to me wilt certainly assist me. I wish to be en- 
tirely Thine. 

Point II 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

My soul, almighty God has promised to assist 
thee at all times if thou strive energetically to 
serve Him and sanctify thyself, provided Thou 
hast recourse to Him in all thy wants: ^*For who 
hath continued in His commandment and hath been 
forsaken! or who hath called upon Him, and He 
despised him?" (Ecclus. ii 12.) He even com- 
mands that thou have confidence in Him. ^'The 
anger of God cometh upon the children of unbe- 
lief" {Eph. V. 6). There are three reasons why 
thou shouldst show this confidence in God. 



302 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



1. To honor Him. Tliou showest God a great 
honor and offerest Him most acceptable homage 
if thou dost cling to Him with a confidence so firm 
that it will not be shaken even when, humanly 
speaking, all is lost. That is practical faith. 

2. A second reason why thou shouldst at all 
times cling to God with unshaken confidence is 
because it is of great benefit to thee. On account 
of the honor it gives the Almighty, it exercises 
a certain fascination over the paternal heart of 
thy heavenly Father, which induces Him to take 
a special interest in thee and daily bestow some 
special graces upon thee. ^'For, amen, I say to 
you,'' says our Saviour, ^'if you have faith as 
a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this 
mountain, 'Eemove from hence hither,' and it 
shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible to 
you" (Matt. xvii. 19). 

3. Finally, without this confidence a true spiri- 
tual life, a perseverance in virtue, is impossi- 
ble. ^^0 thou of little faith," said Our Lord to 
St. Peter when His disciple lost confidence in 
Him and began to sink into the sea, on which He 
walked by faith. 

The Gospel also hints at the causes of a want 
of confidence. 

1. The first cause is a shortsightedness of 
faith. Listen to the apostles: Master, this is 
a desert place, and the hour is now past; send 
away the multitudes, that going into the towns, 
they may buy themselves victuals" {Matt. xiv. 
15). They never thought that Jesus could supply 
all. 

2. The second cause is pride and self-conceit. 
Thou must say with St. Paul, ^^I am nothing of 
myself." But ''I can do all things in Him who 
strengtheneth me" (Philipp. iv. 13). We should 



THE MULTIPLICATION OF BREAD 303 

listen to the Wise Man who says: ^^Have confi- 
dence in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not 
upon thy own prudence" (Prov. iii. 5). 

3. A great reason for a want of confidence is 
because thou art not really in earnest in serving 
God and sanctifying thyself. We wish to serve 
God in our own way ; we are not honest with Him. 
We forget that, ^^In the fear of the Lord is con- 
fidence of strength" (Prov, xiv. 26). 

0 my soul, how often hast thou failed to show 
God that confidence which He demands! How 
often in consequence hast thou done harm to thy 
spiritual life! And yet thou knowest that this 
confidence is necessary to perseverance! Moses 
and Aaron doubted God's word and in conse- 
quence did not see the Promised Land. How 
many graces hast thou lost on account of thy lack 
of confidence? And why did this happen? On ac- 
count of shortsightedness in thy faith? On ac- 
count of pride? On account of a want of earnest- 
ness in God's service? Ah, how often has this 
been the case ! Yes, I have not been honest with 
God. On account of my pride, my laziness, I have 
been willing to serve God only so far as it suited 
my own convenience. How, then, could I have 
confidence? 

AFFECTIONS AND PRAYEES 

0 God, I see full well that Thy goodness to me 
is so great that I should confide in Thee im- 
plicitly at all times. But my pride and my want 
of good intention have at times prevented this 
confidence. I detest this miserable pride, this dis- 
honesty, as the greatest misfortune of my life. 
Have pity on my infirmity. Give me humility; 
an upright intention, fervor, true zeal in Thy 
service ; then I shall always confide in Thee. 



304 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



Resolution 

In all my trials and difficulties I will hence- 
forth place unbounded confidence in the Holy 
Spirit. I will be mindful of the Psalmist's words : 
Expect the Lord, do manfully, and let thy heart 
take courage, and wait thou for the Lord'' {Ps. 
xxvi. 14). Yes, The Lord is my light and my 
salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the 
protector of my life: of whom shall I be afraid 1 
If armies in camp should stand together against 
me, my heart shall not fear. If a battle should 
arise up against me, in this will I be confident. 
' ' In Thee, 0 Lord, have I hoped ; I shall never be 
confounded." Yes, my Eedeemer, I hope all 
from the blood Thou hast shed for me. Help 
Thy servants, whom Thou hast redeemed by Thy 
precious blood. 0 queen of heaven! 0 mother 
of God, our hope, and the refuge of sinners, have 
pity on me ! 

OPTIONAL EEFLECTIONS 

jflRari^, ^oOcl ot lb ope 

{From St. Alplionsus) 

From faith springs hope, for God enlightens 
us by faith with a knowledge of His goodness and 
His promises, that we may rise by hope to the de- 
sire of possessing Him. Mary, then, having the 
virtue of an extraordinary faith, had also the 
virtue of an extraordinary hope, which made her 
say with David: ^^But it is good for me to adhere 
to my God, and to put my hope in the Lord God." 
Mary was, indeed, that faithful spouse of the 
Holy Spirit, of whom it was said: ''Who is this 
that Cometh up from the desert, flowing with de- 



THE MULTIPLICATION OF BREAD 



305 



lights, leaning on her beloved!" For she was 
always perfectly detached from affection to the 
world, which to her appeared a desert; and plac- 
ing no confidence either in creatures or her own 
merits, but relying entirely on divine grace, in 
which alone she trusted, she always advanced in 
the divine love; and thus Alquin said of her: 
*^Slie ascended from the desert, that is from the 
world, which she deserted and esteemed such a 
desert, that she turned away from it all her af- 
fection ; leaning upon her beloved, for she trusted 
not in her own merits, but in the grace of Him 
who bestows grace. ' ' 

And the holy Virgin plainly showed how great 
was her confidence in God : first, when she saw the 
trouble of her holy spouse, Joseph, because he 
knew not the mode of her miraculous conception 
and thought of leaving her: '^But Joseph . . . 
minded to put her away privately. ' ' It appeared, 
then, necessary that she should discover to Joseph 
the hidden mystery; but no, she would not her- 
self reveal the grace she had received; she 
thought it better to abandon herself to divine 
Providence, trusting that God Himself would pro- 
tect her purity and good name. Cornelius a 
Lapide makes the same remark: ^'The Blessed 
Virgin was unwilling to make known this secret 
to Joseph, lest she should seem to boast of 
her gifts, but resigned herself in perfect con- 
fidence to the care of God, trusting that He 
would protect her innocence and reputation. ' ' 
Moreover, she showed her confidence in God when, 
as the time of the birth of Christ approached, she 
saw herself in Bethlehem shut out from the lodg- 
ings, even of the poor, and obliged to bring forth 
her Son in a stable. ^'And she laid Him in a 
manger, because there was no room for Him in 



306 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



the inn." She did not then utter a single word 
of complaint, but abandoning herself to God, 
trusted that He would assist her in her need. The 
holy mother also showed how much she trusted 
in divine Providence, when warned by Joseph that 
they were obliged to fly into Egypt, she set out 
the same night on so long a journey to a foreign 
and unknown country without preparation, with- 
out money, without any other company than that 
of her infant Jesus and her spouse, ^'Who arose 
and took the child and His mother by night and 
retired into Egypt.'' But much more did Mary 
make known her confidence when she asked from 
her Son the favor of the miracle at the marriage 
of Cana; for having said, ^'They have no wine," 
Jesus answered her: Woman, what is it to thee 
and to Me? My hour has not yet come." But 
after this answer, by which it seemed clearly that 
He refused her request, she, trusting in the di- 
vine goodness, directed the people of the house 
to do as her Son would order, because the grace 
was secure; ^'Whatever He shall say to you, do 
ye." And Jesus Christ did, indeed, order that 
the vessels should be filled with water, which he 
changed into wine. 

Let us learn, then, from Mary to trust in God 
as we ought, but principally as to what concerns 
our eternal salvation, in which, although our co- 
operation is necessary, yet we ought to hope from 
God alone the grace necessary for obtaining it, 
entirely distrusting our own strength, and saying 
with the Apostle : ''I can do all things in Him who 
strengtheneth me. ' ' 

Oh, my most holy Lady, of thee Ecclesiasticus 
says, that thou art the mother of holy hope. The 
holy Church says of thee that thou art hope itself. 
Hail, our hope! What other hope, then, am I 



THE MULTIPLICATION OF BREAD 307 

seeking? Thou, after Christ, art all my hope; 
thus St. Bernard called thee, thus I also wish to 
call thee: ^'The whole reason of my hope;" and 
I will also say to thee with St. Bonaventure : * ' Oh, 
salvation of those who invoke thee, save me." 



PARTICULAR EXAMINATION 

®n 6enero6it^ Uowarb tbe Molig Spirit 

Do I realize : 

That the Holy Spirit has been generous with 
me? 

That I ought to be generous with Him? 

That God loves the cheerful giver? 
Do I labor generously at my spiritual progress? 
Do I carry my cross with resignation? 
Do I pray with fervor? 

Do I employ all my time well ? in a spirit of pen- 
ance and self-denial? with purity of intention? 
out of love for Jesus and Mary? according to 
God's holy will? with confidence in the goodness 
of Jesus and Mary? 

Am I resolved to continue in these dispositions 
through life? Say an act of contrition for faults, 
one of thanksgiving for graces, and renew your 
generous dispositions. 



308 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



THIRD MEDITATION 
Jesus anC) tbe Scribe— lPo\>ert^ 

Point I 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

St. Matthew relates that when our divine 
Saviour attracted great multitudes by His teach- 
ing and miracles, ^ ^ a certain scribe came and said 
to Him : Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever 
Thou shalt go! And Jesus said to him 'The 
foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests; 
but the Son of man hath not where to lay His 
head' " (Matt, viii. 20). Our Saviour, no doubt, 
declined to accept this scribe as His disciple, be- 
cause he was actuated by love of earthly gain. 
Like many others, he was willing to follow Christ, 
but not by bearing all for love of Him. The 
Saviour then pointed to His own extreme poverty, 
saying: ''The Son of man hath not where to lay 
His head.'^ The poverty of most poor people is 
not their choice but a matter of necessity. Not 
so with Jesus Christ. He is the Master of heaven 
and earth. If He wished, He could have had a 
queen for His mother and a king for His foster 
father. Instead of being born in a stable, He 
could have been born in a magnificent palace. He 
might have been clothed in costly garments. In- 
stead of lying in a rude manger, warmed by the 
breath of animals, he could have surrounded Him- 
self with all kinds of comforts and luxuries. Of 
His own free choice He was born in exile. He has 
not even the necessaries of the very poor. He has 
contented Himself with the bare essentials. His 
poverty was so humiliating that He was despised 



JESUS AND THE SCRIBE 



309 



by the inhabitants of Bethlehem at His birth, by 
the people of Nazareth among whom He lived, and 
even by the executioners, who cast lots for the 
only garment He possessed. 

0 my soul, behold the lesson thy Saviour teaches 
thee! He is the God of infinite wisdom and cer- 
tainly knows the true value of the goods of the 
earth. He left the splendor of His heavenly home 
to teach thee by word and by example. He began 
the Sermon on the Mount by saying: ^'Blessed 
are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom 
of heaven'' {Matt, v. 3). He declared that "it 
is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of 
a needle, than for a rich man to enter the king- 
dom of heaven" {Matt. xix. 24). He holds out to 
thee the same rewards that He offered to that 
rich young man to whom He said: ^^If thou wilt 
be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to 
the poor, and thou shalt have treasures in heaven" 
{Matt. xix. 21). In answer to this invitation thou 
didst finally renounce the goods of earth for the 
treasures of heaven. But, oh, how the Holy 
Spirit had to woo thee with the allurements of 
His grace before thou didst finally make up thy 
mind ! And what regrets, perhaps, didst thou en- 
tertain when thou didst really make the sacrifice ! 
It seemed so difficult for thee to sacrifice a little 
for love of Him who sacrificed all for love of 
thee. No doubt, if in His goodness He had not 
promised thee a mansion in the kingdom of heaven, 
thou wouldst never have made the sacrifice ! And 
then, perhaps, like the Israelites in the desert, 
when thou didst experience the inconvenience of 
poverty, thou didst long again for the fleshpots 
of Egypt. 



310 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



AFFECTIONS AND PKAYEES 

0 my Jesus, what a poor worm of the earth 
am I! Indeed, ''the corruptible body is a load 
upon the soul, and the earthly habitation presseth 
down the mind that museth upon many things" 
{Wis. ix. 15). I know that I have no lasting 
abode here below, that heaven is my true home! 
I appreciate the truth of Thy teaching. I admire 
Thy divine example. I have externally left the 
world to follow in Thy footsteps. But, alas, I 
have allowed the tendrils of my heart to cling to 
the goods of earth! I am sorry for my negli- 
gence. I detest my waywardness. I desire to 
be perfect. I wish to renounce all for love of 
Thee. 0 holy Spirit, strengthen me, give me 
an efficacious good will. I have vowed to be poor 
in spirit, that the kingdom of heaven may be 
mine. Never, never, in spite of all my miseries, 
will I be false to my vow. I want to follow in 
the footsteps of my Saviour. I desire no com- 
forts in this life. I intend to use only the neces- 
saries, and to use them not according to my will, 
but solely as prescribed by obedience. 0 Jesus, 
by Thy sacrifice lead me on to perfection. 

Point II 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The scribe in the Gospel indeed said: "Master, 
I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou shalt go," 
but he had a far different idea from that ex- 
pressed by our divine Saviour when He said to 
the rich young man: ''Come and follow Me." 
The Saviour invited the young man to the per- 
fection of evangelical poverty. The scribe only 
desired to accompany the Master in His public 



JESUS AND THE SCRIBE 



311 



life, share in His honors, and j^erhaps enrich him- 
self with the voluntary offerings of the faithful. 

Eeligious rarely enter the convent with such 
sordid motives, but they often neglect to follow 
Christ in the perfection of poverty after they 
have renounced all by their profession. The 
perfection of poverty includes the practice of the 
virtue of poverty as well as the observance of 
the vow. This virtue consists in that interior de- 
tachment of the goods of earth as our Saviour 
teaches by His word and example. Only those 
who practise this detachment are really poor in 
spirit. This spirit rejoices in being poor, takes 
nothing without permission, and, like our Saviour 
at Bethlehem, contents itself with bare essentials 
and even is at peace when necessaries are want- 
ing. This spirit is content with everything, does 
not labor for transitory goods, but seeks to ^'lay 
up treasure in heaven; where neither the rust 
nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not 
break through and steal" {Matt. vi. 20). 

My soul, was it to follow thy Saviour as the 
scribe wished to do that thou didst come to the 
convent! No. Thou didst wish to follow Him 
in spirit and in truth. But what progress hast 
thou made? Canst thou truly say with St. 
Francis of Assisi, ^^My God and my all," or with 
holy David, '^What do I wish for in heaven or 
on earth but Thee, 0 my God!" Must thou not 
rather acknowledge that in thy heart thou hast 
not yet abandoned all temporal goods, that thy 
heart is still attached in a worldly way to the 
friends of earth? Dost thou not desire many 
things and disquiet thyself when thou canst not 
receive themf Instead of despising worldly 
goods, or at least contenting thyself with what 
is necessarj^, hast thou not surrounded thyself 



312 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



with many conveniences and even with luxuries? 
And yet thou claimest to imitate the poverty of 
Jesus Christ who had not where to lay His head! 
Thou dost not love God with thy whole heart as 
long as thou hast attachment to the things of 
earth and reservest for them a share of thy af- 
fections. Thou art not yet really poor in spirit 
as long as thou dost not practise external priva- 
tion and internal detachment perfectly. Thou 
dost not earnestly desire eternal riches as long as 
thou still takest pleasure in those of time. When 
wilt thou follow thy Saviour in real earnest? 
When wilt thou be able to say with St. Peter: 
''Behold, Lord, we have left all things, and have 
followed Thee" {Matt. xix. 27). Only then may- 
est thou calmly contemplate the Saviour's an- 
swer: ''A hundredfold in this life, and in the 
world to come life everlasting'' {Matt. xix. 29). 

AFFECTIONS AND PRAYERS 

0 my Jesus, I am sorry that I have devoted so 
little generosity and fervor to leaving all and 
following Thee. I am ashamed of my efforts 
after Thou hast given me so divine an example. 
I am not worthy to be classed among Thy fol- 
lowers. I deserve to be treated as the scribe 
whom Thou didst not permit to accompany Thee. 
The love alone which Thou didst show me en- 
courages me still to hope in Thee. Yes, dear 
Jesus, in Thee I place all my confidence. I de- 
sire to love Thee, to follow Thee with my whole 
heart and soul. 0 holy Spirit, detach my heart 
from the goods of earth. Center all my affections 
in God, my only good. Help me to live only in 
and for God. Oh, that I could honestly say, 
''My God and my all!" 



JESUS AND THE SCRIBE 



313 



Besolution 

For love of Thee, 0 my Jesus, I resolve to fol- 
low Tliee in external privation and interior de- 
tachment so that I may merit with Thee the 
kingdom of heaven. I give myself entirely to 
Thee, and Thou hast already accepted me. I love 
Thee, and Thon dost also love me. Do not per- 
mit that this love between Thee and me should 
ever be interrupted. 0 my mother Mary! do 
thou obtain for me the grace that I may always 
love Jesus, and that I may always be loved by 
Him! 

OPTIONAL REFLECTIONS 

IT* ITn (5oD Blone iQ found tTrue IPeace 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

He that seeks peace in creatures will never find 
it, because no creatures are fitted for giving satis- 
faction to the heart. God has created man for 
Himself, who is an infinite good; wherefore God 
alone can content him. Hence it comes that many 
persons, though loaded with riches, honors, and 
earthly pleasures, are never satisfied; they are 
ever seeking for more honors, more possessions, 
more amusements; and, however many they ob- 
tain, they are always restless, and never enjoy a 
day of true peace. Delight thou in the Lord, 
and He shall give thee the desires of thy heart." 
When any person delights only in God, and seeks 
nothing but God, God Himself will take care to 
satisfy all the desires of his heart, and then he 
will attain the happy state of those souls who 
desire nothing but to please God. 

Senseless are they who say, ''Happy is he who 
can employ himself as he likes, who can command 



314 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



others, who can take what pleasures he pleases." 
It is madness; he alone is happy who loves God, 
who says that God alone is sufficient for him. 
Experience shows clearly that multitudes of per- 
sons who are called fortunate by men of the 
world, because they are raised up to the posses- 
sion of great riches and great dignities, live a 
miserable life, and never find rest. 

But how is this, that so many of the rich and 
powerful in the midst of the abundance of the 
goods of the world, do not find peace! And, on 
the other hand, how is it that so many good Ee- 
ligious, who live retired in a cell, poor and hidden, 
pass their days so happily! How is it that so 
many solitaries, living in a desert or within a 
cave, suffering hunger and cold, yet rejoice with 
gladness? It is because they wait only on God 
and God comforts them. 

''The peace of God surpasseth all understand- 
ing." Oh, how the peace which the Lord gives 
to those who love Him exceeds all the delights 
which the world can give! ''Oh, taste and see 
how sweet the Lord is." 0 men of the world, 
cries the Prophet, why will you despise the life 
of the saints without having ever known it 1 Try 
it once; leave the world, leave it, and give your- 
self to God and you shall see that He well knows 
how to comfort you better than can all the great- 
ness and delights of this world. 

It is true that even the saints suffer great 
troubles in this life; but they, resigning them- 
selves to the will of God, never lose their peace. 
The lovers of the world seem now at times joyful, 
at times sad, but, in truth, they are ever restless 
and in a state of turmoil. On the other hand, the 
lovers of God are superior to all adversity and 
to the changes of this world, and therefore they 



JESUS AND THE SCRIBE 315 



live in uniform tranquillity. See how the cele- 
brated Cardinal Petrucci describes a soul that is 
wholly given to God; ^^It beholds all creatures 
around change into a thousand various forms, 
while within, the depths of its heart, ever united 
with God, continue without change. ' ' But he who 
would live ever united to God, and would enjoy 
a continual peace, must drive from his heart 
everything that is not God, and live as if it were 
dead to earthly affections. 0 my God! give me 
strength to separate myself from all the snares 
that draw me to the world. Grant that I may 
think of nothing but to please Thee. 

Happy are they for whom God alone is suffi- 
cient! 0 Lord! give me grace that I may seek 
nothing but Thee, and ask for nothing but to love 
Thee and give Thee pleasure. For love of Thee 
I now renounce all earthly pleasures, I renounce 
also all spiritual consolations; I desire nothing 
but to do Thy will, and to give Thee pleasure. 0 
mother of God! recommend me to thy Son, who 
denies thee nothing. 



ft. 2)art of fixc—XLbc Sacrifice of 5e6U0 

(From St, Alphonsus) 

Christ hath loved us, and hath delivered Him- 
self for us" {Eph. V. 2). 

God had conferred many blessings on men, 
thereby to draw them to love Him; but these 
ungrateful men not only did not love Him, but 
they would not even acknowledge Him as their 
Lord. Scarcely in one corner of Judea was He 
recognized as God by His chosen people; and by 
them He was more feared than loved. He, how- 



316 A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



ever, who wished to be more loved than feared 
by US, became man like ns, chose a poor, suffering, 
and obscure life, and a painful and ignominious 
death; and why! — to draw our hearts to Himself. 
If the Son of God had not redeemed us, He would 
not have been less great or less happy than He 
has always been; but He determined to procure 
our salvation at the cost of many labors and suf- 
ferings, as if His happiness depended on ours. 
He might have redeemed us without suffering; 
but no ! He willed to free us from eternal death 
by His own death; and though He was able to 
save us in a thousand ways, He chose the most 
humiliating and painful way of dying on the cross 
of pure suffering, to purchase the love of us un- 
grateful worms of the earth. And what, indeed, 
was the cause of His miserable birth and His 
most sorrowful death, if not the love He had 
for us! 

Ah, my Jesus, may that love which made Thee 
die for me on Calvary destroy in me all earthly 
affections, and consume me in the fire which Thou 
art come to kindle on the earth. I reprobate a 
thousand times those shameful passions which 
cost Thee so much pain. I repent, my dear Re- 
deemer, with all my heart for all the off'ences I 
have committed against Thee. For the future I 
will rather die than offend Thee, and I wish to do 
all that I can to please Thee. Thou hast spared 
nothing for my love ; neither will I spare anything 
for Thy love. Thou hast loved me without re- 
serve; I also without reserve will love Thee. I 
love Thee, my only good, my love, my all. 



JESUS AND THE SCRIBE 



317 



OPTIONAL READINGS 

f . HbdLt^f tbe JBoOel of poverty 

{From St. Alpfionsus) 

Our loving Eedeemer chose to be poor on this 
earth in order to teach us to despise the goods 
of this world. Being rich," says St. Paul, ^'He 
became poor for your sake, that through His pov- 
erty you might be rich." For this reason Jesus 
Christ says to each one who wishes to be His 
disciple: *^If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what 
thou hast and give it to the poor, and come, fol- 
low Me." Behold His most perfect disciple, 
Mary, who indeed imitated His example. Father 
Canisius proves that the holy Virgin could have 
lived in comfort on the inheritance left by her 
parents, but she was content to remain poor, re- 
serving to herself a small portion, and giving 
the rest in alms to the temple and to the poor. 
Many are of opinion that Mary also made a vow 
of poverty, and it is known that she herself said 
to St. Bridget : ' ' From the beginning I vowed in 
my heart never to possess anything in the world." 
The gifts received from the holy magi were cer- 
tainly not of small value, but St. Bernard attests 
that she distributed them all to the poor. And 
we learn that the divine mother immediately gave 
to others the presents above mentioned, from the 
fact that when she went to the temple she did not 
offer the lamb, which was the oblation made by 
those who were able, as we read in Leviticus: 
*^For a son she shall bring a lamb;" but she 
offered two turtle-doves and two young pigeons, 
the oblation of the poor. ''And to offer a sacri- 
fice according as it is written in the law of the 
Lord, a pair of turtle-doves or two young 



318 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



pigeons." Mary herself said to St. Bridget: 
''All that I had I gave to the poor, and kept 
nothing for myself but poor food and clothing." 
Through love of poverty she did not disdain to 
marry a poor carpenter, like St. Joseph, and 
afterward, as St. Bonaventure relates, to support 
herself by the work of her hands, by sewing and 
spinning. An angel revealed to St. Bridget con- 
cerning Mary, that '^worldly riches were in her 
eyes vile as dirt." In a word, she always lived 
in poverty, and she died in poverty ; for, as Meta- 
phrastes and Nicephorus relate, she left nothing 
behind her at her death but two poor garments 
to two women who had assisted her during life. 

''He who loves riches," said St. Philip Neri, 
"will never become a saint"; and St. Teresa also 
said: "It justly follows that he who goes in 
search of things lost is also lost." On the other 
hand, the same saint said that this virtue of pov- 
erty is a good that comprises all other goods. I 
have said the virtue of poverty, which, according 
to St. Bernard, does not consist alone in being 
poor, but in loving poverty. Therefore Jesus 
Christ has said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, 
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Blessed, 
because they who wish for nothing but Grod, in 
God find every good, and find in poverty their 
paradise on earth, as St. Francis found it in say- 
ing, "My God and my all!" Let us, then, ac- 
cording to the exhortation of St. Augustine, love 
that only good in which is every good. And let 
us pray to Our Lord with St. Ignatius: "Give 
me only Thy love together with Thy grace, and 
I am rich enough. ' ' And when poverty afflicts us, 
let us console ourselves by the thought that 
Jesus and His mother have also been poor like us. 

Ah, my most holy mother, thou hast in truth 



JESUS AND THE SCRIBE 319 



reason to say, that in God was tliy joy. ^^And 
my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour;" for 
in this world thou didst not desire nor love any 
other good than God. Draw me after thee, 0 
Lady! detach me from the world and draw me 
after thee to love that one who alone merits to be 
loved. Amen. 

Resolution 

The resolution to belong wholly to God is a 
great means of perfection. Many are called to 
perfection ; they are urged on toward it by grace ; 
they conceive a desire of it, but because they 
never really resolve to acquire it, they live and 
die in the bad odor of their tepid and imperfect 
life. The desire of perfection is not enough, if it 
be not followed by the stern resolve to attain it. 
How many souls feed themselves on desires alone, 
but never make withal one step in the way of 
God! It is of such desires that the Wise Man 
speaks when he says, Desires kill the slothful." 
The slothful man is ever desiring, but never re- 
solves to take the means suitable to his state of 
life to become a saint. He says, ^^Oh, if I were 
but in solitude, and not in this house! Oh, if I 
could but go and live in another monastery, I 
would give myself entirely to God ! ' ' And mean- 
while he can not tolerate a certain companion; 
he can not put up with a word of contradiction; 
he is taken up with many useless cares; he 
commits a thousand faults of gluttony, of curi- 
osity, and of pride ; and yet he sighs to the wind, 
''Oh, if I had but!" or ''Oh, if I could but!" etc. 
Such desires do more harm than good; because 
some feed themselves upon them, and in the mean- 
time go on leading a life of imperfection. It was 
a saying of St. Francis de Sales : " I do not ap- 



320 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



prove of a person who, being engaged in some 
duty or vocation, stops to sigh for some other 
kind of life than is compatible with his actual 
position, or for other exercises unfitted for his 
present state; for it merely serves to dissipate 
his heart, and makes him languish in his neces- 
sary duties.'^ 

We must, therefore, desire perfection, and 
resolutely take the means toward it. St. Teresa 
says, ^^God only looks for one resolution on our 
part, and will afterward do all the rest Himself; 
the devil has no fear of irresolute souls." For 
this reason mental prayer must be used, in order 
to take the means which lead to perfection. Some 
make much prayer but never come to a practical 
conclusion. The same saint said: ^'I would 
rather have a short prayer, which produces great 
fruits, than a prayer of many years, wherein a 
soul never gets further than mere resolving to do 
something worthy of almighty God.'^ And else- 
where she says: ^^I have learned by experience 
that whoever, at the beginning, brings himself to 
the resolution of doing some great work, however 
difficult it may be, if he does so to please God he 
has no reason to be afraid." 

The first resolution must be to make every ef- 
fort, and to die rather than commit any deliberate 
sin whatever, however small it may be. It is true 
that all our endeavors, without the divine assist- 
ance, can not enable us to vanquish temptations; 
but God wishes us on our part frequently to use 
this violence with ourselves, because then He will 
afterward supply us with His grace, will help 
our weakness, and enable us to gain the victory. 
This resolution removes from us every obstacle 
to our going forward, and at the same time gives 
us great courage, because it affords us an assur- 



JESUS AND THE SCKIBE 



321 



ance of being in the grace of God. St. Francis 
de Sales writes: ^^The best security we can pos- 
sess in this world, of being in the grace of God, 
consists not indeed in feeling that we have His 
love, but in a pure and irrevocable abandonment 
of our entire being into His hands, and in the 
firm resolution of never consenting to any sin, 
either great or small." This is what is meant 
by being of a delicate conscience. Be it observed, 
that it is one thing to be of a delicate conscience, 
and another to be of a scrupulous conscience. To 
be of a delicate conscience is requisite to become 
a saint, but to be scrupulous is a defect and does 
harm; and on this account we must obey our di- 
rectors, and rise above scruples, which are noth- 
ing else but vain and unreasonable alarms. 

Hence it is necessary to resolve on choosing the 
best, not only what is agreeable to God, but what 
is most agreeable to Him, without any reserve. 
St. Francis de Sales says, ^^We must start with 
a strong and constant resolution to give ourselves 
wholly to God, and protest to Him that for the 
future we wish to be His without any reserve, and 
then we must afterward often renew this same 
resolution.'' St. Andrew Avellino made a vow 
to advance daily in perfection. It is not neces- 
sary for every one who wishes to become a saint 
to make it the matter of a vow; but he must en- 
deavor every day to make some steps forward in 
perfection. St. Laurence Justinian has written: 
''When a person is really making way, he feels 
in himself a continual desire of advancing; and 
the more he improves in perfection, the more this 
desire increases; because as his interior light 
increases each day more and more, he seems to 
himself always to be wanting in every virtue, and 
to be doing no good at all; and if, perchance, he 



322 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



is aware of some good lie does, it always appears 
to Mm very imperfect, and he makes small ac- 
count of it. The consequence is, he is continually 
laboring to acquire perfection without ever feeling 
wearied." 

And we must begin quickly, and not wait for 
the morrow. Who knows whether we shall after- 
ward find time or not. Ecclesiastes counsels us: 
^'Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earn- 
estly." What thou canst do, do it quickly, and 
defer it not; and he adduces the reason why: 
''For neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor 
knowledge, shall be in the grave (Sheol), whither 
thou art hastening." Because in the next life 
there is no more time to work, nor free will to 
merit, for after death what is done is done. A 
nun of the convent of Torre de Speech! in Eome, 
whose name was Sister Bonaventura, led a very 
lukewarm life. There came a Eeligious, Father 
Lancicius, to give the spiritual exercises to the 
nuns, and Sister Bonaventura, feeling no inclina- 
tion to shake off her tepidity, began to listen to 
the exercises with no good will. But at the very 
first sermon she was won by divine grace, so that 
she immediately went to the feet of the Father 
who preached, and said to him, with a tone of 
real determination : ' ' Father, I wish to become a 
saint, and quickly a saint." And by the assist- 
ance of God, she did so; for she lived only eight 
months after that event, and during that short 
time lived as a saint, and then died as one. 

David said: "And I said, now have I begun.'' 
So likewise exclaimed St. Charles Borromeo: 
"To-day I begin to serve God." And we should 
act in the same way, as if we had hitherto done 
no good whatever; for, indeed, all that we do for 
God is nothing, since we are bound to do it. Let 



JESUS AND THE SCRIBE 



323 



us therefore each day resolve to begin afresh to 
belong wholly to God. Neither let ns stop to 
observe what or how others do. They who be- 
come truly saints are few. St. Bernard says, 
^^We can not be perfect without being singular.'' 
If we would imitate the common run of men we 
should always remain imperfect, as for the most 
part they are. We must overcome all and re- 
nounce all, in order to gain all! St. Teresa said: 
^'Because we do not come- to the conclusion of 
giving all our affection to God, so neither does 
He give all His love to us." Oh, God, how little 
is all that is given to Jesus Christ, who has given 
His blood and His life for us. ^'However much 
we give," says the same saint, ^4s but dirt, in 
comparison of one single drop of blood shed for 
us by our blessed Lord." The saints know not 
how to spare themselves when there is a question 
of pleasing God, who gave Himself wholly, with- 
out reserve, to oblige us to deny nothing to Him. 
St. John Chrysostom wrote: ^'He gave all to 
thee, and kept nothing for Himself." God has 
bestowed His entire self upon thee ; there is, then, 
no excuse for thee to behave reservedly with God. 
He has even died for us all, says the Apostle, in 
order that each one of us may live only for Him. 

Christ died for all; that they also who live may 
not now live to themselves, but unto Him who 
died for them" (2 Cor. v. 15). 



324 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



FOURTH MEDITATIOIsr 
XTbe Beloved Disciple— Cbastit^ 

Point I 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

One of the first disciples to leave all and fol- 
low Jesus was Jolm the Evangelist. He was not 
only one of the three favored apostles, but was 
also the object of our Saviour's special love. In 
the Fourth Gospel he is called ^'the Beloved Dis- 
ciple," or "the disciple whom Jesus loved." At 
the Last Supper this beloved disciple reclined 
next to his Master and was privileged to rest his 
head on our Saviour's breast. On Calvary he 
stood beneath the cross with Mary the mother of 
Jesus, and received her as his own from his 
Master. The foundation of this special love of 
Jesus for St. John was not only the bond of blood 
relationship or early friendship, but the virginal 
purity with which the Beloved Disciple followed 
his Master through life. He ^^was purchased 
from among men, the first-fruits to God and the 
Lamb" {Apoc. xiv. 4). He was therefore priv- 
ileged to ^'follow the Lamb whithersoever he go- 
eth," to fathom the mysteries of the Godhead, to 
make known things hidden from the foundation 
of the world, and to be specially beloved by Jesus 
and Mary while on earth. To Eeligious it is 
given to take this word (Matt. xix. 11), and keep 
it by their vow of chastity. They have promised 
God, in answer to His call and in the generosity 
of their hearts, to strive after the perfection of 
this angelic virtue. Like Mary, Joseph, and 
John, they, too, have resolved to ^'follow the 



THE BELOVED DISCIPLE 



325 



Lamb whithersoever He goeth," by the practice 
of purity of body and soul. In proportion to 
their fidelity will they also be ^^the beloved dis- 
ciples'' of Jesus on earth, and share in the ten- 
derest love of Mary their mother. 

Kejoice, my soul, that thy Saviour has singled 
thee out by His special love as He did St. John 
among the first disciples. This honor has been 
conferred upon thee without any merit on thy 
part. Many, whom thou didst know in thy child- 
hood to be more pious than thee, did not receive 
it. But to thee the invitation was extended to 
* ^follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth." 0 
thank Him, whose delights are to be with the 
children of men," for His condescending love 
toward thee! Do not content thyself with this, 
however, but examine carefully how thou hast 
followed Him. See whether thou hast shown thy- 
self a beloved disciple." Hast thou observed 
all that the rules of modesty prescribe for thy 
holy state? Hast thou jealously watched over 
thy eyes and ears as beeometh a true spouse of 
Christ? Hast thou always been as chaste in thy 
words and actions as if thou wert in the company 
of the angels of heaven? Hast thou had that 
horror for impurity which characterized St. Aloy- 
sius? Hast thou instantly repelled every impure 
suggestion to thy mind, and never permitted any 
unclean desire to enter thy heart? Or hast thou 
grown careless in thy vigilance, even given way 
to idle curiosity in thought or in look? Perhaps 
even harbored a semi-voluntary regret of the 
sacrifice thou hast made? Alas, then, for thee! 
Thy imprudence and negligence have classed 
thee among the foolish virgins! 



326 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



AFFECTIONS AND PEAYERS 

0 my sweetest Jesus, I desire to belong en- 
tirely and unreservedly to Thee! To Thee have 
I consecrated my body, my heart, my soul 1 Thine 
I desire to be in life and in death. I know that I 
am not worthy to be Thy spouse, but since I have 
found favor in Thy sight, I care not for any 
human love. I sincerely regret if, even through 
inadvertence, I have failed to keep my holy vow 
in the least. I do not wish to be of the number 
of those foolish virgins who displease Thee with 
idle imaginations and unworthy regrets. I wish 
to have the lamp of faith ever filled with the oil 
of charity, so that I may be ever ready for the 
coming of the heavenly bridegroom. I know that 
I am weak, but I place all my confidence in Thee. 
Thou canst help me, dearest Jesus, to be ever 
Thy beloved disciple. I thank Thee for Thy 
grace, which has sustained me in the past. I 
hope to make myself worthy of Thy favors in the 
future. I will neglect none of the safeguards of 
this holy virtue. I will purify my heart by pen- 
ance. I will fortify myself by a devout reception 
of the sacraments. I will place myself entirely 
under the protection of that mother who watched 
over Thee for thirty years. 

Point II 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

John merited to become ^'the beloved disciple" 
by following in the footsteps of his Master from 
the days of his youth. By vigilance, prayer, and 
application he kept his heart undefiled all the days 
of his life. Though Jesus, being God, could not 
sin, He disregarded none of the safeguards of 



THE BELOVED DISCIPLE 327 



virtue. He never appeared in public unless the 
glory of His heavenly Father or the welfare of 
souls demanded it. It was thus that He led a 
hidden life for thirty years. During His public 
career He always surrounded Himself with His 
chosen disciples. Even when He retired to watch 
and pray after the fatiguing labors of the day, 
He made use of this safeguard and precaution. 
He followed this practice so consistently that 
even His apostles could not imagine Him acting 
otherwise. They were, therefore, a little sur- 
prised one day to find Him unattended talking 
alone to a Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob. 
''They wondered," relates St. John, ''that He 
talked with a woman. Yet no man said: What 
seekest Thou? or, why talkest Thou with herT' 
(iv. 27.) Indeed, they rightly surmised that He 
must have a weighty reason for making this ex- 
ception. This reason the Master communicated 
to them, saying: "My meat is to do the will of 
Him that sent Me, that I may perfect His work" 
(iv. 34). In fact, when we call to mind the di- 
abolical malice which actuated His enemies, we 
wonder that they never ventured to make any in- 
sinuation about the purity of His life. Their 
silence on this subject in their bitter calumnies 
is the strongest proof of the vigilance and pru- 
dence which our Saviour exercised in His public 
and private life. 

My soul, what dost thou think of thy indiffer- 
ence to many of the little safeguards of virtue 
when thou seest thy own Saviour take so great 
precaution? Do not consider thyself secure be- 
cause by the grace of God thou hast not fallen into 
grievous sin. That security will be thy ruin. 
Bear in mind that the points of thy Rule relating 
to modesty were written under the guidance of 



328 A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



the Holy Spirit. Do not undervalue them and 
say, ' ' They do not apply to our age and country. ' ' 
They apply to every age and country. They are 
based on the example of our Saviour Himself. 
They have the sanction of the saints, who like 
John, were beloved for their purity. They also 
have the sanction of many other holy men and 
women, who felt they could not sufficiently repair 
the faults of their youth by a life of austerity and 
penance. Eather look into thyself and see what 
use thou hast made of the safeguards of thy 
Eule. These are an indication of thy virtue and 
good will. They tell thee whether thou art a 
beloved disciple of Jesus or not. Dost thou love 
solitude, retirement, mortification of the senses 
and of the imagination! Dost thou live the life 
of an angel in the flesh? Art thou as modest in 
private as in public? 

AFFECTIONS AND PRAYEKS 

0 Jesus, lover of purity, with more truth than 
St. Peter can I say: Depart from me, for I am 
a sinful man, 0 Lord'' {Luke v. 8). But what 
will become of me if thou dost depart? No, no! 
Do not leave me ! Eather tell me to follow Thee, 
to take Thee as my model as the Beloved Dis- 
ciple did. 0 my Jesus, I am covered with shame 
^nd confusion when I compare the conduct of the 
saints with mine. I have habitually dispensed 
myself from so many safeguards in daily life. I 
have been so negligent in using the means of per- 
severing in the angelic virtue. I have almost 
given up striving after its perfection. Thy grace 
alone kept me from falling into mortal sin. I 
desire to love Thee, to follow Thee whithersoever 
Thou goest, into solitude, into prayer and self- 
denial, into perfect conformity with Thy holy will, 



THE BELOVED DISCIPLE 



329 



and perfect fidelity to the laoly vow that I have 
made to Thee. 

Resolution 

I resolve to be pure in mind and heart, for 
Thou hast said, '^Blessed are the clean of heart, 
for they shall see God'' {Matt. v. 8). My Jesus, 
make me love Thee exceedingly and remain 
faithful to Thee until death. I ask of Thee this 
grace, together with that of always praying to 
Thee for it. Grant that I may die rather than 
ever prove unfaithful to Thee. 0 Mary, my 
mother, help me to be faithful to thy Son. 



OPTIONAL REFLECTIONS . 

/iBarigt tbe /llboDel of Cbaetiti^ 

{From St. AlpJionsus) 

The flesh being rebellious against reason since 
the fall of Adam, the virtue of chastity is most 
difficult to practise. Of all combats, says St. 
Augustine, those of chastity are the most severe, 
for the battle is daily and the victory rare. But 
eternal praise to the Lord, who has given us in 
Mary a great example of this virtue. '^With 
justice,'' says blessed Albert the Great, Mary 
called the Virgin of virgins, for she, being 
the first who offered her virginity to God, without 
the counsel or example of others, has brought to 
Him all virgins who imitate her." As David had 
already predicted: After her virgins shall be 
brought to the temple of the king." Without 
counsel or example;" yes, for St. Bernard ex- 
claims: ^^0 Virgin, who has taught thee to 
please God by virginity, and on earth to lead the 



330 



A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



life of an angel?" ^'Ah!" answers Sophronius, 
'^it is for this God has chosen this most pure vir- 
gin for His mother, that she may be an example 
of chastity to all.'' Hence St. Ambrose has 
called Mary '^the standard-bearer of chastity." 

By reason of her purity the Blessed Virgin was 
also called by the Holy Spirit beautiful as the 
turtle-dove: ^^Thy checks are beautiful as the 
turtle-dove's." *'Mary," says St. Apollonius, 
'4s a most chaste dove," and therefore she has 
also been called a lily: ''As a lily among the 
thorns, so is my love among the daughters." 
Denis the Carthusian, commenting on this pas- 
sage, says, "she has been called a lily among 
thorns because all other virgins were thorns 
either to themselves or others; but the Blessed 
Virgin has never been one to herself or others. 
For by her presence alone she infused into all 
thoughts and affections of purity." And this is 
confirmed by St. Thomas, who says, "the beauty 
of the Blessed Virgin encouraged chastity in all 
who beheld her." St. Jerome declares himself 
of the opinion that St. Joseph preserved his vir- 
ginity by the society of Mary, for the saint thus 
writes against the heretic Helvidius, who denied 
the virginity of Mary: "Thou sayest that Mary 
did not remain a virgin ; I take it upon myself to 
maintain more than that, even that Joseph him- 
self preserved his virginity through Mary." 

A certain author says that the Blessed Virgin 
so loved this virtue, that to preserve it she would 
have been ready to renounce even the dignity of 
mother of God. This we learn from her own an- 
swer to the Archangel: "How shall this be done, 
because I know not man?" and from the words 
she afterward added: "Be it done to me ac- 
cording to thy word;" signifying by this that 



THE BELOVED DISCIPLE 331 



she gave her consent on the condition of which 
the angel had assured her, namely, that she should 
become a mother by means of the Holy Spirit 
alone. 

St. Ambrose says: *^He who has preserved 
chastity is an angel, he who has lost it is a devil ; 
according to the words of Our Lord, ^They shall 
be as the angels of God in heaven.' But the un- 
chaste become odious to God as the devils." And 
St. Remigius said that the greater number of 
adults are lost through this vice. The victory 
over this vice is rare, as St. Augustine says; but 
why is it rare! Because the means for conquer- 
ing it are not put in use. The means are three, 
according to Bellarmine and the masters of the 
spiritual life: ^^Fasting, avoiding dangerous oc- 
casions, and prayer." By fasting is meant mor- 
tification, particularly of the eyes and of the 
appetite. The most holy Mary, although she was 
full of grace, was so observant of mortification 
of the eyes that she kept them always cast down, 
as St. Epiphanius and St. John Damascene in- 
form us, and never fixed them on any one; they 
say that from her childhood she was so modest 
that she was the wonder of all. And hence St. 
Luke remarks that in going to visit St. Elizabeth, 
*'She went with haste," that she might not be 
long seen in public. St. Gregory of Tours, 
asserts that during her whole life Mary fasted 
always; and St. Bonaventure adds, that Mary 
would never have found so much grace unless she 
had been temperate in food, for grace and glut- 
tony can not subsist together. In a word, Mary 
practised mortification in everything, so that of 
her it was said: ^'My hands dropped with 
myrrh. ' ' 

The second means is to fly the occasions of sin. 



332 A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



^*He that is aware of the snares shall be secure." 
Hence St. Philip Neri said that in this warfare 
cowards conquer ; that is, those who avoid danger- 
ous occasions. Mary shunned as much as pos- 
sible the sight of men; and therefore St. Luke 
says that in her visit to St. Elizabeth, ^ ^ she went 
with haste into the hill country." And a certain 
author remarks that the Virgin left Elizabeth be- 
fore the birth of the Baptist, as we learn from 
the Gospel itself, in which it is said that ^^Mary 
abode with her about three months; and she re- 
turned to her own house. Now Elizabeth's full 
time of being delivered was come, and she brought 
forth a son." And why did she not wait till his 
birth? In order to avoid the conversations and 
visits which would follow that event. 

The third means is prayei. *^And as I knew," 
said the Wise Man, *'that I could not otherwise 
be continent except God gave it ... I went 
to the Lord and besought Him." And the Blessed 
Virgin revealed to St. Elizabeth, a Benedictine 
nun, that she had not acquired any virtue without 
effort and continual prayer. St. John Damas- 
cene says, ^^Mary is pure and a lover of purity," 
and therefore she can not endure the impure. 
But whoever has recourse to her will certainly be 
delivered from this vice by only pronouncing her 
name with confidence. Venerable John of Avila 
says that many temptations against chastity have 
been overcome solely by devotion to the immacu- 
late Virgin. O Mary, 0 most pure dove, how many 
are in hell through the vice of impurity ! 0 Lady, 
obtain for us that always in our temptations we 
may have recourse to thee, and invoke thee, say- 
ing, ^^Mary, Mary, help us." Amen. 



THE BELOVED DISCIPLE 



333 



EVENING EXAMINATION 
Bxamination on tbe Spirit of Oenetositi^ 

Am I discontented on account of the crosses 
that weighed upon me in the past, of the trials 
to which I was subjected, or the burdens I had to 
carry! Or do I regret the opportunities of doing 
good which I let pass by, or which I used so 
badly? Or perhaps regret not having had greater 
opportunities for worik, suffering, and prayer in 
the service of God? 

Do I desire to do great things for the glory of 
God, out of love for Jesus and Mary, for the sake 
of the reward in heaven? Have I resolved to 
become a saint; to become so now? Am I pre- 
pared to make any sacrifice which divine Provi- 
dence may demand, to manifest my devotion to 
God? Am I resolved to do the most disagreeable 
work? to bear the heaviest burden? to be con- 
formed to the will of God in every particular? 
While at prayer do I desire opportunities to do 
and to suffer great things for the glory of God? 
for the good of souls? for my own spiritual 
progress? 

Do I promptly seize every opportunity of testi- 
fying my devotion to God? Do I seek such op- 
portunities? Do I execute the work assigned to 
me with lively faith and great fervor? Do I 
prepare carefully? begin punctually? attend to 
all details conscientiously? renew my good inten- 
tions frequently? preserve my peace of mind in 
time of opposition? Do I persevere in fervor? 
Am I increasing in zeal for my spiritual progress ? 
Do I love the cross for Christ's sake? Do I 
use my time conscientiously? Do I progress in 
recollection? Do I trust implicitly in divine 



334 A DAY OF GENEROSITY 



Providence? Do I seek tlie guidance of the Holy 
Spirit in time of trial? Do I promptly subject 
my will and judgment to my Superiors? Am I 
watchful over my senses? Am I modest both 
when alone and with others? Have I guarded 
against undue familiarity? against all inordinate 
attachment to persons, places, things? Do I ac- 
cept suffering in conformity with Jesus Christ? 

Protestation for a Happy Death. (See p. 77.) 



HYMN 

tTo tbe tfol^ 0bo5t 

{From St. Alphonsiis) 
The Soul All foe God 

Begone, ye vain hopes, ye attachments of earth. 
Give your joys to such souls as no higher can soar; 

Away, far away from my mem'ry begone, 
For I seek you no longer, esteem you no more ; 

0 God of my heart ! make me love Thee alone. 

Adieu, every creature; I leave you with joy. 
I no longer am yours — nay, I am not my own ; 

1 belong but to God, from all else I am free ; 

I am Thine, dearest Jesus — all Thine — Thine alone; 
My best-belov'd good ! let me cling but to Thee. 

0 amiable Lord ! let Thy sweet, holy love 
Now possess my whole being and reign over me ; 

Let Thy love in my heart every passion restrain 
In that heart which was once so rebellious to Thee, 

0 amiable Lord ! come, establish Thy reign. 

0 heavenly dew ! that so sweetly dost fall. 
Of passions unholy Thou calmest the glow : 

Ah ! make me forever enamor'd of Thee, 
And live to seek only my God here below. 

0 heavenly dew ! descend gently on me. 



THE BELOVED DISCIPLE 



335 



0 fire all divine ! who with heavenly flames 

Dost those souls where Thou glowest make holy and blest, 

Come Thou to my heart, make it worthy to bum 
With Thy holiest ardors ; inflame my breast, 

0 fire all divme ! for Thy ardors I yearn. 

0 infinite love! Ah, how blessed is he 

Who beholds Thy sweet face there in heaven above ! 

Oh ! when shall I, too, come Thy beauty to see, 
And enjoy Thee forever in transports of love ! 

0 infinite love ! haste to draw me to Thee. 



THE SEVENTH DAY 



tTbc 2)aij of ipractice 

Dedicated to the Spirit of Wisdom 

Disposition. — Abandonment. 

Motto. — ^'Expect tlie Lord, do manfully, and 
let thy heart take courage, and wait thou for the 
Lord {Ps. xxvi. 14). 

The Special End of this day is to reduce the 
principles of faith and generosity to practice. In 
thus following Jesus, her guide, and copying 
Mary, her model, the soul will advance rapidly in 
realizing the Christian Ideal in daily life. 

Eeading. — Interior and Exterior Mortifica- 
tion," from your Eules and Constitutions. 

PEAYER TO OBTAIlSr THE GIFT OF WISDOM 

Holy Spirit, divine consoler, I adore Thee as 
my God, just as I adore God the Father and God 
the Son. I bless Thee by uniting myself to the 
blessings that Thou dost receive from the angels 
and the seraphs. I offer Thee my whole heart, 
and I render Thee heartfelt thanks for all the 
benefits that Thou hast bestowed and dost un- 
ceasingly bestow upon the world. Thou, who art 
the author of all supernatural gifts, and who 
didst enrich with immense favors the soul of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of God, I beseech 
Thee, visit me by Thy grace and Thy love, and 
grant me the gift of wisdom, in order that I may 
be able to direct all my actions by referring them 

336 



THE FEAR OF THE LORD 



337 



to God as my last end, so that, by loving and 
serving Thee in this life as I ought, I may have 
the happiness of eternally possessing Thee in the 
next. 

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, Glory be to the 
Father, three times. 

THOUGHTS AND EJACULATIONS 

I love Thee, my Jesus, who didst die for me ! 

Give me Thy love, and then do with me what 
Thou pleasest! 

I desire all that Thou dost will and that alone ! 

Thou hast given Thyself all to me ; I give my- 
self all to Thee. 

I hope to love Thee for all eternity, 0 eternal 
God! ^ 

Thou art omnipotent; make me a saint. 

Punish me in any way, but deprive me not of 
the power of loving Thee. 

0 my mother, make me always have recourse 
to thee ; it is for thee to make me a saint ; this is 
my hope. 



FIEST MEDITATION 
XTbe ffear of tbe Xorb 

Point I 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Our divine Saviour was guided in all things by 
the Holy Ghost. In teaching man the way of 
salvation, He endeavored to cultivate especially 
in their hearts the fear of the Lord, the true fear 
of God. This fear is a result of a lively faith. 
It consists in a constant watchfulness, an eager 



338 THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



solicitude to do the will of God in all things, and 
to avoid all that could offend Him. ^^I will show 
you whom you shall fear," says the Saviour. 
^'Fear ye Him, who after He hath killed hath 
power to cast into hell. Yes, I say to you, fear 
Him" {Luke xii. 5). 

There are many reasons why thou shouldst fear 
God as a loving father, why thou shouldst ask 
this virtue from the Holy Spirit and practise it 
daily, (a.) The fear of God is a duty imposed 
by God Himself. ^^Fear the Lord thy God, and 
serve Him alone" {Beut, vi. 13). The Holy 
Ghost says: ^^Fear God and keep His command- 
ments; for this is all man" {Eccles. xii. 13). 
^'Let the earth fear the Lord" {Ps, xxxii. 8), says 
the Psalmist, and again he repeats : ^ ^ Fear the 
Lord, all ye his saints, for there is no want to them 
that fear Him" {Ps. xxxiii. 10). {b.) The 
fruits which the fear of God produces constitute 
another reason for thee to practise this virtue. 
'^The fear of God," says the son of Sirach, ^4s 
honor and glory, and gladness, and a crown of 
joy. The fear of God shall delight the heart, and 
shall give joy, and gladness, and length of days" 
{Ecclus. i. 11-12). And Solomon adds: ''The 
fear of the Lord is a fountain of life" {Prov, xiv. 
27). But consider these fruits in particular. 

1. The fear of the Lord brings temporal bless- 
ings: ''The fear of the Lord shall give joy, and 
gladness, and length of days" {Ecclus. i. 12). 

2. Consider the spiritual fruits: "The fear 
of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" {Ps. ex. 
10). "The fear of the Lord hateth evil" {Prov. 
viii. 13). The fear of the Lord prompted the 
chaste Susanna to say to the wicked accusers: 
"It is better for me to fall into your hands than to 
sin in the sight of the Lord" {Ban. xiii. 23). 



THE FEAR OF THE LORD 



339 



3. The fear of the Lord keeps thee in humility. 
It prompts thee to say with the publican, ' ' 0 God, 
be merciful to me a sinner" {Luke xviii. 13). 

4. The fear of the Lord leads to wisdom. 
^'Behold the fear of the Lord that is wisdom" 
(Job xxviii. 28). 

5. The fear of the Lord is an incentive to vir- 
tue. *^The fear of the Lord is holy," says the 
Psalmist (xviii. 10). 

6. The fear of the Lord leads to a happy 
death. Blessed is the man that feareth the 
Lord" (Ps. cxi. 1). ^^With him that feareth the 
Lord, it shall go well in the latter end, and in the 
day of his death he shall be blessed" {Ecclus. i. 
13). 

Holy faith tells us, my soul, that thy creator, 
preserver, redeemer, and sanctifier has every 
claim on thy whole and undivided service. It 
tells thee that His infinite holiness is displeased 
with the least shadow of sin. It teaches that the 
infinite Justice must punish every unrepented sin. 
It tells thee that no one can escape or withstand 
His infinite power. Let these thoughts sink deep 
into thy heart. Think how frail, how changeable, 
thou art by nature. Rely implicitly on the Holy 
Spirit. Then a wholesome fear will take root in 
thy heart. This fear will teach thee to act with 
caution and reflection. It will lead thee to shrink 
from every sin, everything but what can give 
glory to almighty God. This true, filial fear of 
the Lord will give thee true wisdom to appreciate 
things at their true value. It will imbue thee 
with the principle: Whatever is not eternal is 
nothing." It will impress the words of St. 
Augustine on thy mind in regard to the sinful 
pleasures of life: ''The pleasure is momentary, 
the pain eternal." It will teach thee to bear thy 



340 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



daily cross patiently and approve of the words 
of that holy man who exclaimed when suffering 
excruciating pain: ^'0 these pains are light 
compared to the eternal pains of hell. ' ' 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 God, implant in my heart that true fear which 
will keep me from sin. Alas, how many fanlts 
have I committed because I have not feared Thee 
as I ought. I repent of my conduct. I regret 
that I have so often displeased Thee after all 
that Thou hast done for me. 0 give me a great 
love for Thee. Make me love Thee with all my 
heart and then I will never again displease Thee. 
I desire to love Thee with all my heart, I desire 
to live only to do Thy holy will. I desire to 
be entirely united to Thee. May the Holy Spirit, 
who lives in my heart, dispose of me entirely ac- 
cording to Thy good pleasure, that I may live 
faithfully in the fear of the Lord, with a perfect 
heart, and enjoy its fruits in time and eternity. 

Point II 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The fear of the Lord, then, will only produce 
those wonderful results when it possesses the 
requisite qualities. 

1. It must in the first place be a childlike, a 
filial love, and not the fear of a slave. ''Be of 
good heart. It is I, fear ye not'' (Matt. xiv. 27). 
It must be a fear that dreads the reproach of in- 
gratitude more than the punishment that it may 
incur. It must fear God alone more than the 
ridicule or the power of the world. ''In the 
world you shall have distress; but have confi- 
dence; I have overcome the world" [John xvi. 



THE FEAR OF THE LORD 341 



33). ^^Be not afraid of tliem that kill the body, 
and after that have no more that they can do'' 
{Luke xii. 4). Our Saviour does not like an 
anxiety about the necessaries of life: ^'Be not 
solicitous therefore, saying, what shall we eat; or 
what shall we drink; or wherewith shall we be 
clothed" {Matt. vi. 31). Place an unbounded 
confidence in God alone. Fear only Him that 
hath power to cast into hell. 

2. Another quality of the fear of the Lord is 
magnanimity. It must never degenerate into pusil- 
lanimity. With the assistance of the divine grace 
it must always be ready to say with St. Paul, ^'I 
can do all things in Him who strengtheneth me" 
{PMlipp. iv. 13). 

3. This fear of the Lord must finally be an 
active fear, a fear that seeks the will of God and 
does it in all things, as described by the son of 
Sirach. ''They that fear the Lord," he says, 
"will seek after the things that are well pleasing 
to Him; and they that love Him shall be filled 
with His law" {Ecclus. ii. 19). 

Examine, my soul, the qualities of thy fear. 
Dost thou at times not fear the evils of life more 
than the evil of sin? Or if thou hast not fallen 
so low, art thou always ready to co-operate with 
the grace of God to do great things for His holy 
name! Art thou really anxious to do great 
things for God and heaven like St. Paul! Dost 
thou always show this anxious zeal in thy 
daily life! in small things as well as in great 
things! in secret actions as well as by those that 
can gain for thee the applause of men! Does 
the fear of the Lord impel thee to guard over thy 
passions, to root up all inordinate inclinations! 
Does it influence thee to practise virtue by re- 
minding thee of the account that thou must one 



342 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



day render of thy time, thy talents, thy countless 
graces! Is this the case especially with thee, who 
art a Eeligious? Art thou mindful of that ad- 
monition of St. Paul wherein he says: ^'We ex- 
hort you that you receive not the grace of God 
in vain"? (2 Cor. vi. 1.) 

AFFECTIONS AI^D PEAYEES 

0 God, how often have I failed to keep Thy 
holy law. I have served Thee rather as a slave 
than as Thy adopted child. I repent of my faults. 
I detest them with all my heart. Even when I 
was influenced by a salutary fear it did not suffice 
to move me to seek Thy honor and giory in all 
things. But, henceforth, I desire to make myself 
deserving of those blessings which Thou 
promisest to all that fear Thy holy name, that 
keep Thy holy law. I desire not so much tem- 
poral blessings, but rather those spiritual goods 
which will make me more agreeable in Thy sight. 
Give me that true wisdom which will enable me 
to estimate things at their true value. Give me 
a great dread of sin, so that I may avoid the least 
wilful transgression of Thy holy law. Keanimate 
my faith, so that I may see Thee and serve Thee 
with fidelity and generosity in all things. 

Resolution 

1 will then fear the Lord all the days of my 
life, for if I fear Him I need not fear anything 
else. 

^'Pierce Thou my flesh with Thy fear, for I am 
afraid of Thy judgments . . . Thy justice is 
justice forever, and Thy law is the truth . . . 
My heart hath been in awe of Thy words . . . 
I have kept Thy commandments and Thy testi- 



THE FEAR OF THE LOKD 



343 



monies, because all my ways are in Thy sight'' 
(Ps. exviii. 120-142-161-168). I now esteem 
Thy grace above all the kingdoms of the world. 
I love Thee, and for Thy love I accept every sor- 
row, together with death itself. And if I am not 
worthy to die for Thy glory by the hand of ex- 
ecutioners, I accept at least willingly that death 
which Thou hast allotted to me; and I accept it 
in the manner and at the time that Thou shalt 
choose. My dear mother Mary, obtain for me the 
grace to live and to die loving Jesus. 



OPTIONAL REFLECTIONS 

IPurfts of ITntention 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

Purity of intention consists in doing everything 
from a simple desire to please God. Jesus Christ 
has said, that according to the intention, whether 
it be good or evil, is our work judged before God. 
^^If thine eye be single, thy whole body is full of 
light; but if thine eye be evil, thy whole body is 
full of darkness." The single eye signifies a 
pure intention of pleasing God; the dark and evil 
eye signifies a want of such honest and holy in- 
tention, when our actions are done from a motive 
of vanity, or from a desire to please others. 

Can any action be more noble than for man to 
give his life for the Faith ? and yet St. Paul says, 
that he who dies from any motive but that of a 
pure desire to do God's will, gains nothing by his 
martyrdom. 

If, then, martyrdom avails nothing unless it be 
endured for the sake of God alone, of what value 
will be all the preaching, all the labor of good 



344 THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



works, and also all the austerities of penitents, if 
they are done to obtain the praise of men, or to 
satisfy their own inclination! 

The prophet Aggens says, that works, how- 
ever good in themselves, if not done for God, are 
nothing better than bags fnll of holes, which 
means that they are all lost directly, and that no 
good comes from them. On the contrary, every 
action done with an intention of pleasing God, of 
however little value in itself, is worth much more 
than many works done without such pure inten- 
tion. 

We read in St. Mark that the poor widow cast 
into the alms-box of the temple only two mites; 
but yet of her the Saviour said: ^'See, that 
poor widow hast cast in more than all." 
St. Cyprian remarks on this, that she put in more 
than all the others, because she gave those two 
little pieces of money with the pure intention of 
pleasing God. 

One of the best signs by which we may know 
whether a person's work is done with a right in- 
tention is, that if the work has not the effect de- 
sired he will not be at all disturbed. Another 
good sign is, that when a person has completed 
any work, and then is spoken ill of for it, or is 
repaid with ingratitude, he nevertheless remains 
contented and tranquil. On the other hand, if it 
happens to any one to be praised for his work, he 
must not disquiet himself with the fear of being 
filled with vainglory; but should it come upon 
him, only let him despise it in his heart, and say, 
with St. Bernard, ^^I did not begin it for thee, 
nor because of thee will I leave it." 

To work with an intention of acquiring more 
glory in heaven is good, but the most perfect is 
the desire to give glory to God. Let us be sure 



THE FEAR OF THE LORD 



345 



that the more we divest ourselves of our earthly 
interests, so much the more will our Saviour in- 
crease our joy in paradise. Blessed is he who 
labors only to give glory to God, and to follow His 
holy will. Let us imitate the love of the blessed, 
who, in loving God, seek only to please Him. 
St. John Chrysostom says, *^If we can attain to 
the fulfilment of God's pleasure, what more can 
we desire 1 If thou art worthy of doing anything 
that pleases God, dost thou ask any other re- 
ward?" 

This is that single eye which pierces the heart 
of God with love toward us, as He says to the holy 
Spouse, ^'Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, 
my spouse ; thou hast wounded my heart with one 
of thine eyes." This single eye signifies the one 
end that holy souls have in all their actions, that 
of pleasing God. And this was the counsel that 
the Apostle gave to his disciples: ^'Therefore, 
whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do 
all to the glory of God." The Venerable Beatrice 
of the Incarnation, the first daughter of St. Te- 
resa, said, ^^No price can be put on anything, 
however small, that is done entirely for God." 
And with great reason she said this, for all works 
done for God are acts of divine love. Purity of 
intention makes the lowest actions become pre- 
cious, such as eating, working, recreation, when 
they are done from obedience and from a desire 
to please God. 

We must, then, in the morning, direct to God 
all the actions of the day ; and it will be very use- 
ful to us to renew this intention at the beginning 
of every action, at least of the most important, 
such as meditation, communion, and spiritual 
reading ; pausing a little in the beginning of these, 
like the holy hermit, who, before beginning any- 



346 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



thing lie had to do, lifted his eyes to heaven, and 
remained still; and when he was asked what he 
was then doing, replied, ^^I am making sure of my 
aim. ' ' 

When, 0 my Jesus ! shall I begin to love Thee 
truly! Miserable that I am! If I seek among 
my works for any that are good — for one work 
done only to please Thee, my Saviour — I shall not 
find it. Alas! then, have pity on me, and suffer 
not that I continue to serve Thee so poorly up to 
the time of my death. Grant me Thy help, that 
what remains of my life I may spend only in serv- 
ing and loving Thee. Make me overcome all, 
that I may please Thee, and do all only to fulfil 
Thy holy pleasure; through the merits of Thy 
passion I ask it. 0 my great advocate, Mary, ob- 
tain for me this grace by thy prayers. 



irir. B 2>art of afire— ^Tbe %ovc of (3oD tbe afatber for Hlg 

{From St, Alphonsus) 

^'By this hath the charity of God appeared to- 
ward us, because God hath sent His only-hegotten 
Son into the ivorld that we may live by Him'' (1 
John iv. 9). 

All men were dead in sin, and they would have 
remained dead if the eternal Father had not sent 
His Son to restore them to life by His death. But 
how ? What is this ? God to die for man ! God ! 
And who, then, is man! ^'Who am I?" says St. 
Bonaventure. ' ^ 0 Lord, why hast Thou loved me 
so much?" But it is in this that the infinite love 
of God shines forth. ^'By this hath the charity 
of God appeared." The Church exclaims on 
Holy Saturday, ''0 wonderful condescension of 



THE FEAR OF THE LORD 



347 



Thy mercy toward us! 0 inestimable affection 
of charity! that Thou mightest redeem a slave, 
Thou didst deliver up Thy Son.'^ 0 immense 
compassion! 0 prodigy! 0 excess of the love 
of God! to deliver a servant and a sinner from 
the death that he deserves, His innocent Son is 
condemned to die. 

Thou, then, 0 my God, hast done this that we 
might live by Jesus Christ, ^*that we might live 
by Him.'' Yes, indeed, it is but meet that we 
should live by Him, who has given all His blood 
and His life for us. My dear Redeemer, if in 
the presence of Thy wounds and of the cross on 
which I see Thee dead for me, I consecrate to 
Thee my life and my whole will, ah, make me all 
Thine, for from this day forward I seek and de- 
sire none but Thee. I love Thee, infinite good- 
ness; I love Thee, infinite love; while I live may 
I always repeat, *^My God, I love Thee! I love 
Thee!" Let my last words in death be: '^Mv 
God, I love Thee, I love Thee.'' 



OPTIONAL BEADINGS 

ir« USsnvQf /iBoDel Of pra^et 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

No soul on this earth has ever followed so per- 
fectly as the Blessed Virgin that great precept 
of our Saviour: ''We ought always to pray and 
not to faint." From no other, says St. Bona- 
venture, can we better take example, and learn 
the necessity of persevering in prayer, than from 
Mary. Mary is our model whom we ought to fol- 
low. For the blessed Albert the Great asserts, 
that after Jesus Christ, the divine mother was the 



348 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



most perfect in the virtue of prayer, of all who 
ever lived or ever will live. First, because her 
prayer was continual and persevering. From the 
first moment in which she had life, and with life 
the perfect use of reason, she began to pray. And, 
in order that she might devote herself the more to 
prayer, she went when a child of only three years 
into retirement in the Temple; where in addition 
to other periods that she allotted to prayer, she 
was accustomed to rise at midnight and go to pray 
before the altar of the Temple. And later on, in 
order to meditate on the sufferings of Jesus, she 
also frequently visited the places of Our Lord's 
nativity, passion, and burial. Moreover, her 
prayer was wholly recollected, free from all dis- 
tractions, and every irregular inclination. There- 
fore the Blessed Virgin, through her love of 
prayer, had so great a love for solitude, that, as 
she said to St. Bridget, when she lived in the 
Temple she even abstained from intercourse with 
her holy parents. St. Jerome, meditating on the 
words of Isaias, Behold a virgin shall conceive 
and bear a son, and his name shall be called 
Emmanuel," says, that in Hebrew the word vir- 
gin properly signifies a retired virgin; so that 
Mary's love of solitude was already predicted by 
the prophet. Eichard says that the angel ad- 
dressed her in the words, ^'The Lord is with 
thee," on account of her great love of solitude. 
And St. Vincent Ferrer asserts that the blessed 
Mother never went from home, except to go to the 
Temple, and then she went entirely recollected, 
having her eyes always cast down. When going to 
visit St. Elizabeth, ^^she went with haste," and 
from this St. Ambrose says that virgins should 
learn to shun the public eye. St. Bernard teaches 
that Mary, through her love of prayer and soli- 



THE FEAR OF THE LORD 



349 



tude, was always careful to avoid conversation 
with men. Hence she is called by the Holy Spirit 
the turtle-dove : ' ' Thy cheeks are beautiful as the 
turtle-dove." Which words Vergellus thus ex- 
plains: *^The turtle-dove is a lover of solitude, 
and is an emblem of the unitive power of the 
soul." So the Virgin always lived solitary in 
this world, as in a desert, and therefore it was 
said of her, ^^Who is this that goeth up by the 
desert, as a pillar of smoke?" On which words 
St. Eupert the Abbot says, *^Thus thou didst as- 
cend by the desert, having a solitary souL ' ' 

Philo said that God speaks to souls only in 
solitude. And God Himself declared this by the 
prophet Osee, when He said, ^'I will lead her into 
the wilderness and I will speak to her heart." 
And hence St. Jerome exclaims: solitude, in 
which God familiarly converses with His serv- 
ants!" *^Yes," says St. Bernard, ^'because the 
quiet and the silence that is enjoyed in solitude 
force the soul to leave the earth in thought, and 
to meditate on the things of heaven." Oh, most 
holy Virgin, obtain for us a love of prayer and soli- 
tude, that detaching ourselves from the love of 
creatures, we may aspire only after God and 
heaven, where we hope one day to see thee, to 
praise and love with thee thy Son, Jesus, forever 
and ever. Amen. Come over to Me, all ye that 
desire Me, and be filled with My fruits. The 
fruits of Mary are her virtues. 

None has appeared like unto thee, in all time 
before or after thee. Thou alone, 0 woman with- 
out equal, hast been pleasing to Christ. 



350 THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



fir, amDftfon 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

He that loves God does not desire to be es- 
teemed and loved by his fellow-men: the single 
desire of his heart is to enjoy the favor of al- 
mighty God, who alone forms the object of his love. 
St. Hilary writes, that all honor paid by the world 
favors the work of the devil. And so it is; for 
the enemy traffics for hell, when he infects the soul 
with the desire of esteem; because when the soul 
lays aside humility, it runs great risk of plung- 
ing into every vice. St James writes, that while 
God confers His graces with open hands upon the 
humble, He closes them against the proud, whom 
He resists. ^^God resists the proud, and gives 
His grace to the humble.'' He says He resists 
the proud, signifying that He does not even listen 
to their prayers. And certainly, among the acts 
of pride we may reckon the desire to be honored 
by men, and self-exaltation at receiving honors 
from them. 

We have a frightful example of this in the his- 
tory of Brother Justin the Franciscan, who had 
even attained to a lofty state of contemplation; 
but, perhaps — and indeed it may be affirmed with 
certainty and without perhaps" — because he 
nourished within himself a desire for human es- 
teem, behold what befell him. One day Pope Eu- 
genius IV sent for him; and on account of the 
great opinion he had of his sanctity, showed him 
peculiar marks of honor, embraced him, and made 
him sit by his side. Such high honors filled 
Brother Justin with self-conceit; on which St. 
John Capistran said to him, ^'Alas, Brother Jus- 
tin, thou didst leave us as an angel, and thou re- 
turnest a devil ! ' ' And in fact, the hopeless monk, 



THE FEAR OF THE LORD 



351 



becoming daily more and more puffed np with 
arrogance, and insisting on being treated accord- 
ing to his own estimate of himself, at length mur- 
dered a brother with a knife. He afterward be- 
came an apostate, and fled into the kingdom of 
Naples, where he perpetrated other atrocities; 
and there he died in prison, an apostate to the 
last. 

"Wherefore a certain great servant of God has 
wisely said, that when we hear or read of the fall 
of some towering cedars of Libanus, a Solomon, 
a Tertullian, who all had the reputation of saints 
— we may know that they were not given wholly 
to God; but nourished inwardly some spirit of 
pride and so fell away. Let us, therefore, trem- 
ble, when we fell an ambition arise within us to 
appear in public, and to be esteemed by the world ; 
and when the world pays us some tribute of honor 
let us beware of taking complacency in it, as it 
might prove to be the cause of our utter ruin. 

Let us especially be on our guard against all 
ambitious seeking of preference, and sensibility 
in points of honor. St. Teresa said, ^'WTiere 
punctiliousness prevails, there spirituality will 
never prevail.'' Many persons make professions 
of a spiritual life, but they are worshipers of self. 
They have the semblance of certain virtues, but 
they are ambitious of being praised in all their 
undertakings; and if nobody else praises them, 
they praise themselves; in short they strive to 
appear better than others; and if their honor be 
touched, they lose their peace, they leave off holy 
communion, they omit all their devotions, and 
find no rest till they imagine they have got back 
their former standing. The true lovers of God do 
not behave in this way. They not only carefully 
shun every word of self-esteem and all self-corn- 



352 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



placency, but, further, they are sorry at hearing 
themselves commended by others, and their glad- 
ness is to behold themselves held in small repute 
by the rest of men. 

The saying of St. Francis of Assisi is most 
true: ^^What I am before God, that I am." Of 
what use is it to pass for great in the eyes of the 
world, if before God we be vile and worthless? 
And on the contrary, what matters it to be de- 
spised by the world, provided we are dear and ac- 
ceptable to God? St. Augustine thus writes: 
*^The approbation of him who praises neither 
heals a bad conscience nor does the reproach of 
one who blames wound a good conscience. As 
the man who praises us can not deliver us from 
the chastisement of our evil doings, so neither 
can he who blames us rob us of the merit of our 
good actions. ^^What does it matter," says St. 
Teresa, ^ though we be condemned and reviled by 
creatures, if before Thee, 0 God ! we are great and 
without blame?" The saints had no other de- 
sire than to live unknown, and to pass for con- 
temptible in the estimation of all. Tims writes 
St. Francis de Sales: ^^But what wrong do we 
suffer when people have a bad opinion of us, since 
we ought to have such of ourselves? Perhaps 
we know that we are bad, and yet wish to pass for 
good in the estimation of others." 

Oh, what security is found in the hidden life for 
such as wish to love Jesus from their heart ! Our 
Lord Himself set us the example, by living hidden 
and despised for thirty years in a workshop. 
And with the same view of escaping the esteem of 
men, the saints went and hid themselves in deserts 
and in caves. It was said by St. Vincent de Paul, 
that a love of appearing in public, and of being 
spoken of in terms of praise, and of hearing our 



THE FEAR OF THE LORD 



353 



conduct commended, or that people should say 
that we succeed admirably and work wonders, is 
an evil which, while it makes us unmindful of God, 
contaminates our best actions, and proves the 
most fatal drawback to the spiritual life." 

"Whoever, therefore, would make progress in 
the love of God, must absolutely give a death blow 
to the love of self-esteem. But how shall we in- 
flict this blow? Behold how St. Mary Magdalene 
of Pazzi instructs us: ^^That which keeps alive 
the appetite for self-esteem is the occupying of 
a favorable position in the minds of all; conse- 
quently, the death of self-esteem is to keep one- 
self hidden, so as not to be known to any one. 
And till we learn to die in this manner, we shall 
never be true servants of God.'^ 

In order, then, to be pleasing in the sight of 
God, we must avoid all desire of making a parade 
in the eyes of men. And we must shun with still 
greater caution the ambition of governing others. 
Sooner than behold this accursed ambition set up 
in the convent, St. Teresa declared she would pre- 
fer to have the whole convent burned, and all the 
nuns with it ! Hence she signified her wish, that 
if ever one of her Eeligious should be detected 
aiming at the Superiorship, she should be ex- 
pelled from the community. St. Mary Magdalene 
of Pazzi said, ^^The honor of a spiritual person 
consists in being put below all, and in abhorring 
all superiority over others. The ambition of a 
soul that loves God should be to excel all others 
in humility, according to the counsel of St. Paul: 
*^In humility let each esteem others better than 
themselves." In a word, one who loves God must 
make the love of God the sole object of his ambi- 
tion. 



354 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



SECOND MEDITATION 

Zbc ff>ubltc %iU of Jesus— irntercourse 
witb the MotlD 

Point I 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

St. Matthew tells us tliat, ^^Jesiis went about 
all the cities and towns, teaching in their syna- 
gogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, 
and healing every disease, and every infirmity" 
(ix. 35). My soul, let us accompany our 
Saviour on His journey and learn a lesson for 
our exterior conduct. The exterior of Jesus, di- 
rected by the Holy Spirit, was always recollected. 
The key-note of His external behavior was calm- 
ness and reserve. 

1. His eye was ever calm and mild. Even 
when aroused to just indignation, as by the buy- 
ers and sellers in the Temple, it was majestically 
calm and awe-inspiring. 

2. Self-possession was visible on His counte- 
nance. His appearance, mien, and gestures were 
always well ordered. He was never influenced by 
passion or extravagance, sadness or severity. Of 
Him Isaias had said, ^'My elect, my soul, delighted 
in Him. He shall not be sad or troublesome.'' 

3. The same must be said of His voice and 
manner of speaking. His voice was calm. When 
He began to preach all wondered at His grace 
and energy. ''All gave testimony to Him: and 
they wondered at the words of grace that pro- 
ceeded from His mouth" (Luke iv. 22). Even this 
was foretold by Isaias: ''He shall not cry nor 



THE PUBLIC LIFE OF JESUS 



355 



have respect to person, neither shall His voice 
be heard abroad'' (Is, xlii. 2). 

4. Even His manner of talking was well- 
ordered. The Royal Prophet foretold this when 
he exclaimed, ^^Thou art beautiful above the sons 
of men; grace is poured abroad in Thy lips" {Ps. 
xliv. 3). 

Behold, my soul, the model that the Holy Spirit 
proposes for thy imitation. Dost thou now com- 
prehend why the saints, who permitted themselves 
to be guided by the Holy Spirit and kept their 
eyes fixed on the example of Jesus Christ, took 
such great pains to regulate their exterior manner 
even in the minutest detail, to preserve that com- 
posure that flows from living in the presence of 
God? that recollection and reverence which is due 
to God present everywhere! The saints were not 
of the number of those who foolishly assert, "The 
exterior matters not. Whoever is particular con- 
cerning the exterior life acknowledges that he 
seeks holiness in accidental things." Holiness, 
as our Saviour told the Pharisees, must indeed 
spring from the interior. But it should not stop 
there. It should manifest itself exteriorly. Thou 
^ ' shouldst let thy light shine before men, that they 
may glorify thy Father who is in heaven." Ex- 
terior decorum is a great protection, a true guard 
of the heart. Hence St. Basil writes, "Where 
Christ is, there also is modesty." A disordered 
exterior, moreover, leads to, and is, in a certain 
degree, an indication of an ill-regulated interior 
life. Examine thyself on thy past conduct. Com- 
pare it with that of thy divine guide. How much 
wilt thou find to correct in the use of thy eyes! 
How much in the use of thy voice! How much 
in thy manner of speaking and acting ! Can it be 
said of thee that, ' ' Grace is poured abroad in thy 



356 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



lipsf" Watch over thyself, therefore, and en- 
deavor to regulate thy exterior manner according 
to thy divine model, that model which the Holy 
Spirit continually proposes for Thy imitation in 
the person of Jesus Christ. 

AFFECTIONS AND PRAYEES 

0 God, I am overwhelmed with confusion when 
I consider my daily conduct and compare it with 
that of my divine model. How much pain have 
I caused^ how much scandal given by not control- 
ing my eyes. How much offense have I given 
by sharp, cutting words. How much annoyance 
by ill humor, by disdainful and changeable 
ways ! I repent of all such conduct and implore 
thy pardon. If virtue must come from within, 
then renew my spirit, increase my love, inflame 
my heart with holy desires, with good intentions. 
If our appearance is an indication of the state 
of our mind, then fill my mind with holy thoughts, 
burning with zeal for Thy glory and solicitude 
for the salvation of my soul, so that my aspect 
may bring others to love Thee. If exterior actions 
spring from a principle within, then implant Thy 
all-embracing love in my heart that it may prompt 
and direct all my actions. ^^0 Jesus, meek and 
humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine. ' ' 

Point II 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider, moreover, the conduct of Jesus 
toward His disciples and toward the people in 
general. Do this with care, my soul, and it will 
profit thee much for practical life. 

1. Jesus did not grow disgusted with his dis- 
ciples, but continued in their company to the last. 



THE PUBLIC LIFE OF JESUS 



357 



They were poor, rough, and rather ignorant men 
and certainly must have been naturally displeas- 
ing to Our Lord and they, no doubt, put His di- 
vine patience to the test. He loved them in spite 
of their many imperfections with all the ardor 
of His divine heart. They were the object of His 
special solicitude. In His intercourse with them 
He descends to their level, is ever ready to speak 
familiarly to them, to render them a service. He 
calls them His friends, His children, and provides 
for their daily wants. He accepts the slightest 
service with gratitude and protests that ^^the Son 
of man is not come to be ministered unto, but 
to minister'^ (Matt. xx. 28). ''I am in the midst 
of you, as he that serveth" (Luke xxii. 27). 

2. Our Saviour never had intercourse with the 
world except when it was the will of His heavenly 
Father. For thirty years He lived in obscurity. 
But when He appeared in public, He did so with 
as much caution and foresight as though, like an 
ordinary mortal, He feared the danger of sin. 
And yet He made no distinction of persons except 
in favor of the sinner and the little children. He 
declared that He came to convert sinners, rather 
than to preach to the just, if such there were. He 
said: Suffer the little children to come to me, 
and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom 
of Heaven" (Mark x. 14). By His zeal for the 
good of souls he made for Himself bitter enemies, 
though He gave them not the least shadow of 
scandal. He could, therefore, challenge them and 
say, Which of you shall convince me of sin" 
(John viii. 46). He was meek when persecuted 
and ever returned good for evil. 

Behold, my soul, the model the Holy Spirit pro- 
poses for thy imitation in thy intercourse with 
all mankind. Never become discouraged or dis- 



358 



THE DAY OF PEACTICE 



contented with those who are near thee, no matter 
what their weakness may be. Never act as 
though they were a burden to thee. Treat them 
with -unwavering patience and uniform meekness. 
Thy conformity to thy divine Model will be pro- 
portionate to thy patience, thy meekness, thy gen- 
erosity toward others. Be solicitous for those 
dependent on thee with a love that is rooted in 
God. Consider thyself the representative of the 
heavenly Father in their regard, and treat them 
with the same solicitude that He would show 
them. For St. Paul says, ^'If any man have not 
care of his own ... he hath denied the faith, 
and is worse than an infidel'' (1 Tim. v. 8). 

Be humble, willing to render a service, and 
grateful for the least attention shown thee, like 
thy Saviour, who protested that He came not to be 
served! Examine thyself on thy conduct toward 
those of thy community. Where, alas, was thy 
meekness, thy humility, when thou didst grow im- 
patient for a trival cause 1 Examine thyself, also, 
in regard to thy intercourse with the world. Hast 
thou acted in a way to resemble thy divine model? 

AFFECTIONS AND PRAYERS 

Alas, 0 God, I have imitated my divine model 
so poorly. I have, alas, been influenced often by 
passion or caprice, instead of by love. I have 
been impatient, I have been haughty. I have 
criticized and complained, when my Saviour would 
have burned with love. I am sorry for my con- 
duct. I wish to reform myself, to conform my 
actions to the model that the Spirit of love has 
shown to me. Give me Thy grace, give me Thy 
love, Thy patience, I wish to be wholly Thine. 



4 



THE PUBLIC LIFE OF JESUS 359 



Resolution 

I will impress deeply upon my mind these words 
of St. Paul: ''Let your modesty be known to all 
men" (PMlipp, iv. 5). ''Put ye on, therefore, 
as the elect of God, holy and beloved mercy, be- 
nignity, humility, modesty, patience, bearing with 
one another, and forgiving one another" {Col. 
iii. 12, 13). "Perfect thou my goings in Thy 
paths: that my footsteps be not moved" (Ps. 
xvi. 5). 

I resign myself wholly into Thy arms, 0 my 
Jesus; I will be wholly Thine; I will suffer every- 
thing for love of Thee; and I ask of Thee noth- 
ing but Thyself. 

0 holy Virgin and my Mother Mary, I love thee, 
and I rely on thee : succor me by thy powerful in- 
tercession ! 



OPTIOlTAIi REFLECTIONS 

£eal for Souls 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

No Religious can be a true follower of Jesus 
and will never become a saint, if he has not zeal 
for the salvation of souls. Our Eedeemer pro- 
tests that, "the Spirit of the Lord . . . hath 
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor." 
Our Lord sought no other proof of Peter's love 
for Him than this, that he should procure the 
salvation of souls. "Simon, son of John, lovest 
thou Me? . . . feed my lambs" (John xxi. 
16). Jesus did not impose on Peter penance, 
prayers, and the like, but only that he should 
strive to save His lambs. And He declares that 
He would look upon every benefit conferred on 



360 THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



the least of our neighbors as conferred on Him- 
self: ''Amen, I say to you, as long as you did 
it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to 
me'' {Matt. xxv. 40.) 

Every Eeligious should, therefore, with the ut- 
most care entertain within himself this zeal, and 
this spirit of helping souls. To this end every 
one should direct his studies, and when he shall 
be assigned to his work by his Superiors, he 
should give to it all his thoughts. He could not 
properly call himself a true Eeligious who, through 
the desire of attending only to himself and of 
leading a retired and solitary life, would not ac- 
cept with all affection such an emplo^^ment when 
imposed on him by obedience. 

What greater glory can a man have, than to be, 
as St. Paul says, a co-operator with God in this 
great work of the salvation of souls! He who 
loves God ardently is not content to be alone in 
loving Him; he would draw all to His love, say- 
ing with David: ''0 magnify the Lord with me, 
and let us extol His name together." Hence St. 
Augustine exhorts all those who love God, ''If 
you love God, draw all men to His love.'' That 
Eeligious has good ground of hope for salvation 
who, with true zeal, labors for the salvation of 
souls. "Have you saved a soulf" says St. Au- 
gustine, "then you have predestined your own." 

The Holy Ghost promises us, "When thou shalt 
pour out thy soul to the hungry ; and shalt satisfy 
the afflicted soul . . . and by thy labor shalt 
have filled him (with divine grace), the Lord 
will give thee rest continually, and will fill thy 
soul with brightness" (7s. Iviii. 10-11) ; the Lord 
will fill thee with light and peace. St. Paul placed 
his hope of eternal salvation in procuring the sal- 
vation of others, when he said to His disciples 



THE PUBLIC LIFE OF JESUS 



361 



of Thessalonica : ^'For what is our hope or our 
joy, or crown of glory f Are not you in the pres- 
ence of Our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?" 
(1 Thess. ii. 19). 

Prayer 

0 my Lord Jesus Christ ! how can I thank Thee 
enough, since Thou hast called me to the same 
work that Thou didst Thyself on earth, namely, 
by my exertions to help souls to their salvation. 
How have I deserved this honor and this reward, 
after having offended Thee so grievously, and 
been the cause of others offending Thee? Yes, 0 
my Lord! Thou callest me to help Thee in this 
great undertaking. I will serve Thee with all my 
strength. Behold, I offer Thee all my labors, and 
even my life, in order to obey Thee. Nor do I 
by this aspire to satisfy my own inclination, or 
to gain applause and esteem from men; I desire 
nothing but to see Thee loved by all, as Thou de- 
servest. I prize my happy lot, and call myself 
fortunate, that Thou hast chosen me for this great 
work, in which I protest that I will renounce all 
praises of men, and all self-satisfaction, and will 
only seek Thy glory. To Thee be all the honor 
and satisfaction, and to me only the discom- 
forts, the blame, and the reproaches. Ac- 
cept, 0 Lord! this offering, which I, a miserable 
sinner, who desires to love Thee and to see Thee 
loved by others, make of myself to Thee, and give 
me the strength to execute it. 

Most holy Mary, my advocate, who lovest souls 
so much, help me. 



362 



THE DAY OF PEACTICE 



PARTICULAE EXAMINATION 

On Hbanbonment to tbe Ifiol^ Spirit 

Do I realize : 

That the Holy Spirit is infinite goodness and 
love? 

That He desires to transform me into a true 

child of God? 
That I can not follow Jesus or imitate Mary 

without Him? 
That He deserves my boundless confidence? 
Have I surrendered myself unreservedly to His 
guidance? Listened attentively to His holy inspi- 
ration? Co-operated promptly with His graces? 

Am I resolved to renew this surrender daily? 
henceforth to be faithful to His guidance? 

Say an act of contrition for faults, one of 
thanksgiving for favors, and renew your submis- 
sion to the Holy Spirit. 



THIED MEDITATION 
Ube Hgon^ in tbe 6ar^en— Dangers of Sadness 

Point I 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider the agony of Jesus in the Garden, 
which is so great that He Himself says, ^'My soul 
is sorrowful even unto death" {Matt, xxvi. 38). 
He begins to tremble and to be afraid. His body 
sways, His knees give way. He falls prostrate to 
the ground. The terror of death seizes upon His 
soul. His sweat becomes as drops of blood. He 
groans and calls on His heavenly Father for help: 



THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN 363 



Father if it be possible, let this chalice pass from 
Me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou 
wilt." At last an angel descends from heaven 
and comforts Him. 

Sadness is a consequence of sin. Our Saviour 
suffered this dereliction in the garden to make 
satisfaction for our sins and to earn for us the 
grace to escape the unhappy consequences of sad- 
ness. 

Sadness, being a result of sin, can do no good. 

Drive away sadness far from thee," says the 
Holy Grhost, ^^for sadness hath killed many, and 
there is no profit in it" {Ecchis, xxx. 24, 25). 

Consider the evil consequences of sadness, my 
soul, that thou mayest be moved to use the means 
of overcoming it. 

1. The first effect of sadness is that it deprives 
the soul of all relish for prayer and spiritual ex- 
ercises. Sadness directs all our thoughts into a 
melancholy channel. '^By grief of mind," says 
the Wise Man, ^Hhe spirit is cast down." 

2. Then sadness makes thee downhearted, and 
out of joint with thy surroundings. It causes 
thee to be a cross to others. ^'Sadness," says 
St. Gregory the Great, ' ^ is always near to anger. ' ' 

3. Sadness, moreover, robs the will of all power 
and energy. Grief in the heart of man shall 
bring him low." *^As a moth doth by a garment, 
and a worm by the wood : so the sadness of a man 
consumeth the heart" (Prov. xxv. 20). *^For of 
sadness cometh death, and it overwhelmeth the 
strength, and the sorrow of the heart boweth 
down the neck" {Ecclus, xxxviii. 19). 

4. Sadness is, finally, the cause and the root 
of many grievous temptations. ^ ' The devil is de- 
lighted," says St. Francis, ^'when the heart of 
man is sad, for then he will easily conquer it." 



364 THE DAY OF PEACTICE 



''Sadness/' says the Holy Ghost, ''hath killed 
many and there is no profit in it" {Ecckis. xxx. 
24, 25). 

Behold, my sonl, the cause and the effects of 
sadness, for which Thy loving Saviour willingly 
suffered that indescribable sorrow in the Garden 
of Gethsemani. Do not deceive thyself for a mo- 
ment that thou couldst give way to sadness even 
for a day without harm. It will dry up thy spirit of 
piety and devotion. It will even anger thee to see 
others absorbed in prayer. Thou who lovest to 
criticize, how often hast thou given way to 
thoughts, words, and actions against charity when 
sadness oppressed thee? If thou givest way to 
sadness, thou by thy own fault makest thy way 
to heaven ever more tedious and more difficult, 
yea, almost impossible. Then the devil will tempt 
thee against thy vocation, against a life of virtue, 
and, alas, may induce thee to seek solace for thy 
woes in the pleasures and distractions of the 
world. If sadness has already taken possession 
of thee, go, my soul, to that Garden of Gethsem- 
ani, and see what thy Saviour has suffered for 
thee, that thou mayest have the- strength to 
triumph over this temptation. Call also to mind 
the words of St. Magdalene of Pazzi to a Sister 
who gave way to sadness: "Rest assured, dear 
Sister, said she, "that God can take no pleasure 
in a soul that is sad.'' 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 dearest Jesus, for love of me thou didst suf- 
fer Thy bitter dereliction. To give me a token 
of Thy exceeding great love Thou didst wilfully 
suffer an agony that no human heart can ever 
compreliend. And I in return have been un- 
willing to suffer even a little for Thee. I detest 



THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN 



365 



my conduct. I thank Thee for Thy goodness in 
showing me how to suffer mental agony with res- 
ignation. 0 how many faults have I committed 
by not following Thy example! I detest them 
from the bottom of my heart. I regret all the 
sins against fraternal charity that I have com- 
mitted by yielding to sadness. I deplore the 
many opportunities of practising virtue that I 
have passed by on the same account. I do not 
wish Thy suffering to be in vain. I wish in all 
things to imitate Thy holy example. I, too^ de- 
sire henceforth only God's holy will. Yes^ in 
agreeable as well as in hard things, may Thy 
holy will be done, 0 Lord. 

Point II 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider, my soul, what thou must do in the 
time of sadness to suffer no spiritual loss. Thy 
loving Saviour shows thee four means to make 
use of when oppressed by sadness, no matter what 
may be its cause. 

1. The first great means is prayer. In sad- 
ness thou feelest a repugnance, a disgust for 
spiritual things. But thou must resist and 
fortify thyself by prayer, Watch ye and pray,'' 
said Our Lord to His disciples in the Garden 
of Gethsemani, *^that yOu enter not into tempta- 
tion" {Matt. xxvi. 41). Not only Jesus, but also 
the disciples were plunged into a sea of sorrow. 
Instead of praying, the disciples give way to sleep. 
They draw upon themselves this reproof, Could 
you not watch one hour with Me!" {Matt. xxvi. 
40.) Soon the disciples begin to doubt. They 
are filled with a great fear. They desert their 
Master. But Jesus, ''being in an agony, prayed 



366 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



the longer" {Lulie xxii. 43). He is comforted by 
an angel and conquers every temptation. 

2. The second remedy is not to seek conso- 
lation in worldly distractions and relaxations. 
Eedouble, if possible, thy fidelity in the perform- 
ance of thy duty. Sadness paralyzes the powers 
of the soul. Thou must therefore make special 
exertions to perform thy duty faithfully. ^'Give 
not up thy heart to sadness," says the Holy 
Ghost, ''but drive it from thee; and remember 
the latter end" {Ecclus. xxxviii. 21). 

3. Thou must, moreover, take particular care 
not to offend against charity. Sadness makes 
thee whimsical, downcast, and peevish. ''Watch 
and pray," therefore, according to the example 
of Jesus, lest thou fall into temptation. 

4. The final method of overcoming sadness is 
fidelity in performing the labors of thy calling. 
This is necessary in order to conquer that long- 
ing for change and diversion which arises in the 
soul in time of sadness. 

Behold, my soul, the only true remedies for 
sadness. See how the Saviour applies them in 
His agony in the garden. He prayed, to teach 
thee to pray in the hour of trial. He knew that 
the will of His heavenly Father demanded that 
He shall suffer patiently, and He did it with per- 
fect resignation. He does not find fault with 
His disciples, but lovingly, tenderly tells them, 
"Sleep ye now and take your rest, . . . for 
the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" {Matt. 
xxvi. 45, 41). Do thou also endeavor to be 
friendly, mild, and loving toward every one when 
sadness darkens thy soul. Summon up all thy 
strength and act as thy duties require thee. Then 
sadness will become for thee a great source of 
merit. 



THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN 



367 



AFFECTIONS AND PRAYERS 

0 lioly Spirit, who directest all in conformity 
with onr divine model, I repent that so often I 
did not walk in the way of my Saviour. He 
prayed for me when suffering an agony of sad- 
ness. I have often neglected to pray when a 
little downcast. He sought comfort only in the 
will of His heavenly Father. I have sought con- 
solation in relaxation and distractions. He 
watched and prayed and was gentle with His 
disciples. I grow peevish and uncharitable. He 
did the will of Him that sent Him, in all things. 
I have often sought consolation in following my 
own bad humor. I am ashamed of my conduct. 
I detest it. I desire to conform myself to that 
sublime model which Thou showest me in the 
Garden of Gethsemani, 0 holy Spirit, when sad- 
ness afflicts me. Help me to realize this desire. 
I am weak, but Thou wilt be my strength. ^^I 
can do all things in Him who strengtheneth me'' 
(Philipp. iv. 13). 

Resolution 

1 will often recall to mind the words of St. 
James: *^Is any of you sad? let him pray" 
{James v. 13). Let the thought of the overwhelm- 
ing sorrow of my Saviour in the Garden of Geth- 
semani sustain me! 0 my Jesus, I beg of Thee, 
and I hope to receive from Thee, the grace to exe- 
cute what I now resolve. 

Bring my soul out of the prison that I may 
praise Thy name" (Ps. cxli. 8). My mother 
Mary, if thou wilt pray for me, I am safe. Oh, 
pray for me, pray ; and cease not to pray till thou 
seest that I am changed, and made what God 
wishes me to be. 



368 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



OPTIONAL REFLECTIONS 

ir» BrgncsB ot Spirit 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

St. Francis de Sales said that true devotion 
and the love of God do not consist in receiving 
spiritual consolations and devout exercises but 
in the possession of a resolute will to desire and 
to do nothing but what God wills. This is the 
one end for which we should apply ourselves to 
prayer, to communion, to mortification, and to 
every other thing that is pleasing to God; even 
though we experience in them no sweet flavor, 
and continue in the midst of temptations and in 
a desolateness of spirit. *^With dr^Tiess of mind 
and temptation," says St. Teresa, "the Lord 
makes trial of those who love Him." Even if 
this dryness lasts for the whole of life, let the 
soul not leave off prayer ; the time will come when 
all will be abundantly rewarded. 

As all masters of the spiritual life recommend, 
in time of desolation we ought especially to ex- 
ercise ourselves in acts of humility and resigna- 
tion. There is no better time for learning our own 
helplessness and our own misery than when we are 
barren in prayer, wearied, distracted, desolate, 
without any perceptible fervor, even without love. 
At such times let the soul say : ' ^ Lord, have mercy 
upon me ; behold how powerless I am to do a sin- 
gle good deed." We must, besides, resign our- 
selves to the will of God, and say, ''0 my God, 
it is Thy will to keep me thus in darkness, thus 
in affliction; may Thy holy will be ever done. I 
desire not to be comforted ; it is enough for me to 
abide solitary to give Thee pleasure." ^ And thus 
we ought to"^ persevere in prayer during all its 
duration. 



THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN 369 



The greatest trouble, however, wliich one suf- 
fers in prayer is not so mucli a dryness as a dark- 
ness, in which he finds himself stripped of every 
good wish, and tempted to give up faith and hope. 
Sometimes, in addition, he experiences violent at- 
tacks of temptation, and such distrust that he 
continues in grievous fear of having even lost 
the grace of God, and that for his own sins God 
had driven him from Him, and had abandoned 
him; so that he looks upon himself as abhorred 
by God; and therefore at such times solitude tor- 
ments him, and meditation seems to him like 
a kind of hell. Then must he take courage, and 
recollect that this dread of having yielded to 
temptation or to despair, is simply the dread 
and the torment of the soul, but not a voluntary 
act, and therefore he is free from sin. At such 
a time a person really resists temptation with 
his will, though, through the darkness which en- 
shrouds him, he is not able distinctly to perceive 
it. And the proof of this is the experience which 
he has, that if he were to be tempted knowingly 
to commit a single venial sin, his soul, which loves 
God, would rather accept death itself. 

On this account, we must not trouble ourselves 
at such times to attain to a certainty that we are 
in the grace of God, and that there is no sin in 
what we are doing. Thou wouldst then know and 
be sure that God loves thee; but at such a time 
God does not choose to let thee know it ; He wills 
only that thou shouldst strive to humble thyself, 
and trust in His goodness, and resign thyself 
to His holy will. Thou wouldst see that God does 
not will that thou shouldst see. For the rest, 
St. Francis de Sales says that the resolution which 
thou hast (at least in thy will), to love God, and 
not to cause Him deliberately the slightest dis- 



370 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



pleasure, is an assurance that tlion art in the 
grace of God. Abandon thyself, therefore, at 
such times, to the divine mercy; declare to God 
that thou desirest nothing but Him and His will 
and fear not. Oh, how dear to the Lord are these 
acts of confidence and resignation, accomplished 
in the midst of this terrible darkness. 

For forty-one years St. Jane Frances of Chan- 
tal suffered these internal pains, accompanied by 
terrible temptations, and by fears that she was in 
a state of sin, and was abandoned by God. Her 
pangs were so great that she was accustomed to 
say that the thought of death was the only thing 
that gave her relief. She was wont to say: 

Sometimes it seems to me that my patience is 
exhausted, and that I am on the point of giving 
up everything, and of abandoning myself to perdi- 
tion. ' ' For the last eight or nine years of her life, 
her temptations instead of diminishing became 
fiercer ; so that whether she was praying or engaged 
in some other occupation, her inward martyrdom 
was such as to call forth the compassion of every 
one who associated with her. It seemed to her 
at times that God had driven her from Him, so 
that to gain relief she turned her thoughts away 
from God; but not finding the relief she sought, 
she turned again to the contemplation of God, 
even though He seemed to have cast her off. In 
meditations, in communions, and other devout ex- 
ercises, she experienced nothing but weariness 
and torment. It seemed to her that she was like 
a sick person overwhelmed with complaints, un- 
able to turn from side to side; dumb and power- 
less to explain her sufferings; blind, so that she 
could see no way of escaping from the depths. 
She seemed to have lost love, hope, and faith ; 
for the rest, she kept her eyes fixed upon God, 



THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN 371 



resting upon the power of the divine will. In a 
word St. Francis de Sales used to say of her that 
that blessed soul was like a deaf musician who 
could sing most admirably, but had no pleasure in 
his voice, because he could not hear it. 

The soul, therefore, which finds itself tried with 
dryness, no matter how it may be oppressed with 
gloom, must not lose courage, but must trust in 
the blood of Jesus Christ, and resign itself to 
the divine will and say: ^'0 Jesus, my hope, and 
my soul's only love! I deserve no consolations; 
give them to those who have always loved Thee; 
I have deserved hell, and to be forever abandoned 
there by Thee, without hope of being able to love 
Thee. But no, my Saviour, I accept every pain; 
punish me as Thou wilt, but deprive me not of 
the power of loving Thee. Take from me every- 
thing, except Thyself. Miserable as I am, I love 
Thee more than myself, and I give myself wholly 
to Thee. I desire to live no more for myself. 
Give me strength to be faithful to Thee. 0 holy 
Virgin; hope of sinners! I trust in Thy inter- 
cession; make me love my God, who has created 
and redeemed me.'' 

irir. % Bart of jffre— tTbe Sorrows of ^esua 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

'^My soul is sorrowful even unto death'' {Matt. 
xxvi. 38). 

These were the words which proceeded from the 
sorrowful heart of Jesus Christ in the Garden of 
Gethsemani, before He went to die. Alas, whence 
came this extreme grief of Our Lord, which was 
so great that it was enough to kill Him? Per- 
haps it was on account of the torments which He 
saw He should have to suffer! No; for He had 



372 THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



foreseen these torments from the time of His in- 
carnation. He had foreseen them, and had ac- 
cepted them of His own free will. ^^He was 
offered because it was His own will." His 
grief came from seeing the sins men wonld commit 
after His death. It was then, according to St. 
Bernadine of Sienna, that He saw clearly each 
particular sin of every one of us. He had regard 
to every particular sin. 

It was not only, then, my Jesus, the sight of the 
scourges, of the thorns, and of the cross, which 
afflicted Thee in the Garden of Gethsemani, but it 
was the sight of my sins, each one of which so 
oppressed Thy heart with grief and sadness that it 
made Thee fall in an agony and sweat blood. This 
is the recompense I have made Thee for the love 
Thou hast shown me by dying for me. All, let me 
share the grief Thou didst feel in the garden for 
my sins, so that the remembrance of it may make 
me sorrowful for all my life. Ah, my sweet Ee- 
deemer, if I could but console Thee as much now 
by my grief and love as I then afflicted Thee ! I 
repent, my love, with all my heart for having pre- 
ferred my own miserable satisfaction to Thee. 
I am sorry, and I love Thee above all things. Al- 
though I have despised Thee, yet I hear Thee ask 
me for my love. Thou wouldst have me love 
Thee with all my heart: ^^Love the Lord thy 
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul." 
Yes, my God, I love Thee with all my heart, I love 
Thee with all my soul. Do Thou give me the love 
Thou requirest of me. If I have hitherto sought 
myself, I will now seek none but Thee. And see- 
ing that Thou hast loved me more than others, 
more than others will I love Thee. Draw me al- 
ways more, my Jesus, to Thy love by the odor of 
Thy ointments, which are the loving attractions 



THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN 



373 



of Thy grace. Finally, give me strength to cor- 
respond to that great love which Thou hast borne 
to an ungrateful worm and traitor. Mary, 
mother of mercy, help me by thy prayers. 



OPTIONAL READINGS 

f. ^ar^t ilRoDel of ipatfence 

{From St, Alphonsus) 

Since this earth is a place for gaining merit, it 
is justly called a valley of tears; for we are all 
placed here to suffer, and by patience to obtain 
for our souls eternal life: ^'In your patience you 
shall possess your souls," said Our Lord. God 
gave us the Blessed Virgin Mary as an example 
of all virtues, but especially as a model of pa- 
tience. St. Francis de Sales, among other things, 
remarks, that at the nuptials of Cana Jesus 
Christ answers the most holy Virgin in such man- 
ner that He seemed to pay but little regard to 
her prayers. Woman, what is that to thee and 
to MeV^ He said precisely for this reason, that 
He might give us an example of the patience of 
His holy mother. Why seek further for other 
instances ! For the whole life of Mary was a con- 
tinual exercise of patience; for, as an angel re- 
vealed to St. Bridget, the Blessed Virgin lived 
always in the midst of sufferings. Her compas- 
sion for the sufferings of the Eedeemer was alone 
enough to make her a martyr of patience ; where- 
fore St. Bonaventure says: ^^The crucified con- 
ceived the crucified." In considering her dolors, 
we must bear in mind all that Mary suffered, as 
well in her journey and life in Egypt, as during 
the whole time she lived with her Son in the little 



374 THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



bouse of Nazareth. But the presence of Mary on 
Calvary with her dying Jesus is alone enough 
to show us how sublime was her patience: 

There stood by the cross of Jesus, His mother/' 
Then, by the merit of this her patience, as blessed 
Albert the Great remarks, she became our mother, 
and brought us forth to the life of grace. 

If we desire, then, to be children of Mary, we 
must seek to imitate her patience. And what, 
says St. Cyprian, can enrich us with greater 
merit in this life, and glory in the next, than en- 
during sufferings with patience. God said by the 
mouth of the prophet Osee : ' will hedge up thy 
way with thorns.'' St. Gregory remarks on this 
passage, that *'the ways of the elect are hedged 
in with thorns." For as a hedge of thorns pro- 
tects the vine, so God encompasses His servants 
with tribulation, in order that they may not be- 
come attached to earth; therefore St. Cyprian 
concludes patience delivers us from sin and from 
hell. And it is patience that makes the saints, 
' ' Patience hath a perfect work, ' ' bearing in peace 
the crosses that come to us directly from God, 
sickness, poverty, etc., as well as those that come 
to us from men, persecutions, injuries, etc. St. 
John saw all the saints with palms, the emblem of 
martyrdom, in their hands. After this I saw 
a great multitude . . . and palms were in 
their hands ; ' ' thus he signified that all men must 
be martyrs by the sword or by patience. ^'Be, 
then, joyful," exclaims St. Gregory, ''we can be 
martyrs without blood, if we preserve patience." 
If we suffer the afflictions of this life, as St. 
Bernard says, patiently and joyfully, oh, how 
much every pain endured for God will obtain for 
us in heaven! Hence the Apostle encourages us 
in these words: ''Our tribulation, which is mo- 



THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN 



375 



mentary and light, worketh for us ... an 
eternal weight of glor}^" Beautiful are the in- 
structions of St. Teresa on this subject: ^^He 
who embraces the cross," she says, ''does not feel 
it." And again, ''When a person resolves to 
suffer, the pain is over." And if we feel our 
crosses heavy, let us have recourse to Mary, who 
is called by the Church, "the comforter of the 
afflicted"; and by St. John Damascene, "the 
remedy for all sorrows of the heart." Ah, my 
most sweet Lady, thou, though innocent, didst suf- 
fer with so much patience, and shall I, who am 
deserving of hell, refuse to suffer? My mother, 
to-day I ask of thee the grace not to be exempt 
from crosses, but to support them with patience. 
For the love of Jesus, I pray thee to obtain for 
me nothing less than this grace from God ; through 
you I hope for it. 



•ffir. ^be nccceeit^s of :fiSan!6Wng /IRclancboli? 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

It is necessary to avoid melancholy, which is the 
pest of devotion, and a source of a thousand 
faults. As long as you are disturbed you will fall 
into continual defects. You will do no good and 
almost all your prayers, meditations, communions, 
spiritual readings, and other exercises will be 
unprofitable; because they will be performed 
badly and with a thousand distractions. Eemem- 
ber that all your inquietude and troubles arise 
from not accepting crosses with resignation from 
the hand of God. The will of God renders all 
tribulations sweet. You complain that you are 
infirm, despised, persecuted, and suffer from 
aridity in devotion; unite yourself to the divine 



376 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



will, and these sufferings will be no longer painful 
to you. 

If you tell me that you are not so much tor- 
mented by these external crosses as by interior 
scruples of conscience, and by fears of being at 
enmity with God, I answer that your confessor 
has, as I suppose, already ordered you to speak 
no more of your past life. By the grace of God 
you abhor your past sins; you are resolved to 
die rather than commit even a deliberate venial 
sin; you frequent the sacraments, and seek to be- 
long entirely to God. All these are signs that 
you enjoy His grace and friendship. Why, then, 
are you disturbed? Why do you say: '^Who 
knows how I stand before God? How shall I die! 
Have I confessed all my sins? Is my confessor 
deceived? The devil tells me that I shall be 
damned." Behold the usual tales of scrupulous 
persons ! Ah ! abandon yourself into the arms of 
divine mercy, and say in all tranquillity : ' ^ Lord, 
I obey Thy minister, and thus I hope in Thy blood 
to be saved, and never to lose Thy grace. ' ' 

With regard to the present, I hope if you are 
troubled in mind, that you have no attachment to 
the venial faults that you daily commit, and that 
they are not fully deliberate ; detest them as soon 
as you perceive them, and then remain tranquil. 

But, Father, my greatest troubles arise from 
doubts of consenting to grievous sins when I am 
assailed by bad thoughts. I answer that a per- 
son of a timorous conscience, when he is not cer- 
tain of having fallen into mortal sin, should re- 
main certain of being in the state of grace, 
because it is impossible for him whose will is firm- 
ly set on doing good to revolt against God without 
having a clear knowledge of his consent. When 
your confessor tells you to disregard these fears, 



JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS 



377 



and to go to communion without confession, obey 
him blindly, and do not listen to the devil, who 
seeks to disturb you with scruples in order to 
make you abandon the way of perfection. When 
you feel agitated, say to God : ^ ^ 0 heavenly Fa- 
ther, I leave my soul in Thy hands: if it please 
Thee that this cross should continue till death, I 
am content; do not permit me to offend Thee; 
make me love Thee, and I do not refuse to suffer 
as much as Thou pleasest. ' ' St. Francis de Sales 
says that God loves with a tender love the souls 
that thus abandon themselves to be governed by 
His divine providence; for He will make all 
things co-operate to their good, helping those 
chosen souls to follow Him with their will, without 
any other support than that of His divine 
pleasure. 



FOURTH MEDITATION 

5esu6 Carries Ibis Cross— perseverance 
in Dtrtue 

Point I 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider the indescribable suffering of thy di- 
vine Saviour carrying His cross to Calvary! 
How great, how oppressive the burden, how ex- 
treme His weakness and fatigue! He trembles, 
and sways to and fro under the weight of the 
cross. The rough wood bruises His shoulder. 
The way is uneven. His body is torn and bleed- 
ing from head to foot. An infuriated mob sur- 
rounds Him, mocks and jeers at Him as He moves 
wearily on. Compassionate Thy loving Saviour; 



378 



THE DAY OF PEACTICE 



adore Him in union with the invisible angels that 
surround Him. He is thy God. He is suffering 
all this wilfully, freely for love of thee. ^'He 
was wounded for our iniquities, He was bruised 
for our sins" {Is. liii. 5). Consider now, my 
soul, the truths the Holy Spirit wishes to bring 
home to thee by this pitiful scene, where thy God 
is going to die for love of thee. 

The Way of the Cross is in a spiritual sense a 
true image of a devout, virtuous life. Yes, thy 
life is a continuous, unbroken journey over a 
rough, difficult, and steep way. Thy cross, which 
often presses hard on thee, is composed of the 
severe demands which thy state in life, thy voca- 
tion, make upon thee. It is composed of the work, 
the cares, the ill-health perhaps, the difficulties 
which daily fall to thy lot. It is made up of the 
unavoidable vexations and trials, the many suf- 
ferings that come upon thee. All this is naturally 
hard and burdensome for thee, and thou often 
feelest the weight of this burden, which thou canst 
not lay down if thou wilt follow thy Saviour to 
Calvary. 

The way on which thou hast to carry this cross 
is the narrow and difficult path of the Counsels, 
which is clearly defined for thee by the Kules and 
Constitutions of thy Order and the holy vows 
which thou hast freely made. On this path, which 
is strewn with the slaarp stones of difficulty that 
wound thy self-love, thou must drag on the burden 
of daily life with its various demands and labors. 
Thou thyself art weak and tired, and art covered 
with many bleeding wounds; thy enemies sur- 
round thee on all sides. Even abuse and ridicule 
may not be wanting to thee. Indeed the Holy 
Spirit wishes thee to be a faithful copy of thy 
divine model in all things. 



JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS 379 



0 my soul, what gratitude, what compassion, 
what love dost thou not owe thy loving Saviour 
for all that He has done for thee? He is thy God, 
infinitely happy in Himself. He does not need 
thee or depend on thee, but He carries the heavy 
burden of the cross for love of thee, to make satis- 
faction for thy sins, to enrich thee with graces, to 
give thee an example that, as He has done, so thou 
mayest also do. Thou hast out of love for Him 
assumed many burdens that do not weigh on the 
ordinary Christian. Thou hast freely offered 
thyself to Him and consecrated thyself to Him in 
the religious life. Thou hast bound thyself to 
Him by the holy vows of poverty, chastity, and 
obedience. Does Jesus deserve this of thee I Oh, 
certainly He does! If His love deserves all this 
of thee, let me ask thee, hast thou daily, hourly, 
given thyself to Him? Hast thou everywhere, at 
all times followed thy Saviour on the Way of the 
Cross? Hast thou not at times given in to the 
inclination to lay down thy burden? Hast thou 
constantly pleased the Holy Spirit by copying 
faithfully this model which He has proposed to 
thee? 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 my dear Saviour, I thank Thee for Thy ex- 
ceeding great love in making the Way of the Cross 
for love of me. 0 Spirit of love, I thank Thee 
for having given me this model for my daily imi- 
tation. Alas, I have at times been unfaithful, but 
the thought of such love on the part of my God 
will encourage me to carry my daily cross through 
life. 0 Spirit of love, increase my love, that I 
may always be prepared to make the necessary 
sacrifices, that I may always walk on the narrow 
and rugged path on which my Saviour had gone 



380 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



before me. I desire to live entirely in conformity 
with Thy holy will, I hope to live and die follow- 
ing in the bloodstained footprints of my Saviour, 
of my God, who has loved me with an exceeding 
love. 

Point II 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

There are yet other lessons, my soul, which the 
Holy Spirit wishes thee to learn from the Saviour 
carrying His cross. Thy Saviour fell several 
times on the difficult way of the cross. St. 
James says that ^'m many things we all 
offend'' {Jas, iii. 2). And the Holy Spirit 
adds, There is no man who sinneth not " 
(3 Kings viii. 46). ^'The just man shall 
fall seven times, and shall rise again" (Prov. 
xxiv. 16). Even the faithful disciples of the Lord, 
therefore, fall occasionally. The repeated falls 
of thy Saviour should remind thee of this and 
induce thee to seek in them the cause and the 
remedy for thy own repeated moral falls. 

1. One of the most frequent causes is human 
infirmity. Our Lord was completely exhausted 
on His way to Calvary. Of the fervent Christian 
it can be said, as Jesus said of His disciples, 
' ^ The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh weak ' ' 
{Matt xxvi. 41). 

2. Another cause is scandal. The way to Cal- 
vary was rough and strewn with stones. Our 
Saviour, exhausted from the tortures that He had 
undergone, and laden with the cross, stumbled 
against these hard stones. The devout and fer- 
vent servants of God often stumble and fall over 
the stones of bad example, the scandal that others 
give them. ''Woe to that man by whom the 
scandal cometh" {Matt, xviii. 7). 



JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS 381 



3. A third cause is the malice of Satan and his 
friends. The enemies of Jesus treated Him most 
inhumanly and caused Him to fall. The enemies 
of man's salvation are continually plotting his 
ruin. 

4. A fourth cause is self-confidence. In the 
sufferings of Jesus, His divine nature, according 
to the will of His heavenly Father, did not sustain 
His human nature, which in consequence became 
very weak. Man frequently relies too much on 
himself, instead of putting all his confidence in 
God, and often falls very low in consequence. 

5. A last cause is neglect of the means of 
grace. Our Saviour since the previous evening 
had eaten nothing, and thus grew weak and fell 
exhausted. Many neglect the means of spiritual 
strength and consequently fall into sin. 

My soul, consider also briefly the remedies for 
falls in the spiritual life. Jesus used them on 
His way to Calvary, (a) When He fell He rose 
immediately. He did not remain on the ground 
conquered by his weakness, (h) He was not 
disturbed by His fall. He continued patiently on 
the difficult way after He had risen. 

The Holy Spirit has pointed out to thee, my 
soul, in thy Saviour's way to Calvary, the causes 
which may bring about thy fall. He has pointed 
them out to thee that thou mayest avoid them. It 
requires a most special grace indeed to keep thee 
from every sin. But an active good-will to use 
God's grace can keep thee from many faults. The 
Holy Spirit gives thee an abundance of grace. He 
is most anxious that thou do not sink under the 
weight of thy daily cross, or find a stumbling-block 
in the evil conduct of others. If thou hast the mis- 
fortune to fall into any sin, the Holy Spirit also 
points out in the bodily falls of thy Saviour on the 



382 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



way to Calvary the remedy for thee. Thou must 
rise promptly. Thou must not lose courage, but 
take up thy cross anew and carry it with fresh 
fervor. Is it thus that thou hast always acted? 
Dost thou persevere like thy Saviour in carrying 
thy cross? If thou fallest, dost thou lose courage 
and lie down, or dost thou rise and pick up thy 
burden anew? Is the Holy Spirit pleased, think- 
est thou, with the way thou carriest thy cross? 
Art thou really becoming conformable to thy di- 
vine model? 

AFFECTIONS AND PRAYEES 

Yes, 0 God, there are, alas, many things in 
which I offend. There are many faults that I 
have committed in the past. I detest them with 
all my heart. What grieves me most is that I 
have not followed my Saviour in rising promptly 
and beginning life with new courage. I wish to 
carry my daily burden faithfully, in conformity 
with Thy holy will. I desire to keep my Rule, 
my holy vows. But I am weak. Help me. Give 
me the strength to follow Jesus to Calvary, to 
persevere to the end. Holy Spirit, guide me, di- 
rect me, sustain me. Be thou my strength. 

Resolution 

1 will often call to mind the words of the Wise 
Man: ^'Son, when thou comest to the service of 
God, stand in justice and in fear, and prepare thy 
soul for temptation. Humble thy heart, and en- 
dure . . . Wait on God with patience . . . 
Take all that shall be brought upon thee; and in 
thy sorrow endure, and in thy humiliation keep 
patience" {Ecdiis. ii. 1-5). Eternal Father, I 
humbly adore and thank Thee for having, after 
the numberless sins I have committed, waited for 



JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS 383 



my repentance, and for having pardoned (as I 
hnmbly hope) all the offences which I have offered 
to Thee, and for which I am now sincerely sorry, 
because they have been displeasing to Thee, who 
art infinite goodness. I thank Thee for having 
preserved me from so many relapses, of which I 
should have been guilty if Thou hadst not pro- 
tected me. But my enemies still continue, and 
will continue till death, to fight against me, and 
to endeavor to make me their slave. If Thou dost 
not constantly guard and help me with Thy aid, 
I, a miserable creature, shall return to sin, and 
shall certainly lose Thy grace. I beseech Thee, 
then, for the love of Jesus Christ, to grant me 
holy perseverance unto death. Jesus, Thy Son, 
has promised that Thou wilt grant whatsoever we 
ask in His name. Through the merits, then, of 
Jesus Christ, I beg, for myself and for all the 
just, the grace never again to be separated from 
Thy love, but to love Thee forever, in time and 
eternity. Mary, mother of God, pray to Jesus 
for me. 



OPTIONAL REFLECTIONS 

^csws 2)fes, auD TOumpbs Ovct Beatb 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

St. John writes that our Redeemer, before He 
breathed His last, bowed His head as a sign that 
He accepted death with full submission from the 
hands of His Father, and thus brought to fulfil- 
ment His humble obedience: ^^He humbled Him- 
self, and was made obedient to death, even the 
death of the cross." 

Jesus upon the cross, with His hands and feet 
nailed upon it, could move no part of His body 



384 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



except His head. St. Athanasins says that death 
did not dare approach to take away life from the 
author of life; wherefore it was needed that He 
Himself, by bowing His head, should call death 
to approach and slay Him. St. Ambrose remarks, 
on St. Matthew's words, Jesus again crying with 
a loud voice, yielded up the ghost,'' that the 
Evangelist used the expression yielded up" to 
show that Jesus did not die of necessity, or 
through the violence of the executioners, but be- 
cause He voluntarily chose to die. He chose will- 
ingly to die, to save us from the eternal death 
to which we were condemned. 

This was already foretold by the prophet Osee 
in the words, ^^I will deliver them from the hand 
of death, from death I will redeem them. 0 
death, I will be thy death; 0 hell, I will be thy 
bite." St. Paul applies this prophecy literally to 
Jesus Christ, who, by His death delivered us from 
death, that is, from hell. 

How, then, was Jesus Christ the death of death I 
^'0 death, I will be thy death!" Because by His 
death our Saviour conquered death, and destroyed 
the death which has resulted from sin. There- 
fore the Apostle writes, Death is swallowed up in 
victory. Where, 0 death, is thy victory ^ Where, 
0 death, is thy sting? The sting of death is sin." 
Jesus, the divine Lamb, by His death destroyed 
sin, which was the cause of our death; and this 
was the victory of Jesus, since by dying He ban- 
ished sin from the world, and consequently de- 
livered mankind from eternal death, to which all 
the human race was subjected. 

To this corresponds that other text of the 
Apostle, ''That through death He might destroy 
him who had the power of death, that is, the 
devil." Jesus destroyed the devil, that is, the 



JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS 385 



power of the devil, who, through sin, had the 
power to inflict temporal and eternal death on all 
the sons of Adam who were corrupted with sin. 
This was the victory of the cross, on which Jesus, 
the author of life, dying, by His death acquired 
life for us. Whence the Church sings of the cross 
that by it, ^'Life endured death, and by death 
brought forth life." 

And all this was the work of the divine love, 
which brought this Priest to sacrifice to the eter- 
nal Father His own life, the life of the only- 
begotten Son, for the salvation of men ; for which 
reason the Church also sings, ^'The Priest, who 
is love, sacrifices the limbs of His tender body." 

And therefore St. Francis de Sales cries out, 
'^Let us look upon this divine Saviour stretched 
upon the cross, as upon the altar of His love, 
where He dies for love of us. Ah, why do we not 
cast ourselves in spirit upon the cross, that we 
may die upon it with Him who has been willing to 
die for love of us?" 

Yes, 0 my sweet Eedeemer, I embrace Thy 
cross ; and holding it in my embrace, I would live 
and die ever lovingly kissing Thy feet, wounded 
and pierced for me. 

EXAMINATION 

On tbe ©rber of tbe Dais? 

Do I rise promptly at the first sound of the bell 1 
Do I habitually raise my mind and heart to God 
on awakening! Do I say my morning prayers 
with recollection and devotion? Do I dress mod- 
estly? Do I recall the subject of meditation? Do 
I make my meditation practical by cultivating af- 
fections? Do I conclude it with a practical reso- 
lution? Do I recall my resolution to mind in the 



386 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



course of the day 1 Do 1 let my mind be occupied 
with some pious thought during the day! Do I 
practise ejaculatory prayer! Do I obey the bell 
promptly? Do I prepare for the work assigned 
to me? Do I perform it conscientiously? Do I 
preserve recollection during the hours of labor? 
Am I distinguished from persons of the world by 
modesty, humility, self-denial, patience, and 
charity? Am I zealous for my own spiritual 
progress? Do I avail myself eagerly of every 
opportunity to influence others to esteem religion 
and love God? Am I patient in trials, untiring in 
my work? Do I repeat acts of faith, hope, and 
charity during the day? Do I cultivate a great 
devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, a tender love 
for Mary? Do I endeavor to acquire the virtues 
peculiar to my Institute? Am I always cheerful? 
Am I reverential, obedient, and grateful to my 
Superior? Do I respect my Eule as God's will? 
Do I obey it in small as well as in great matters? 
in private as well as in public? Do I practise 
daily mortification? Am I charitable in thought, 
word, and deed? Or do I give way to rash judg- 
ments, cutting words, uncharitable actions? Am 
I always neat and clean? Do I love poverty like 
St. Francis? Do I cherish holy purity like St. 
Aloysius and St. Agnes? Am I obedient like St. 
Gerard? Do I take for granted permissions 
which have not been given? Am I wanting in 
sincerity toward Superiors? In cordiality toward 
others of the Community? Have I any favorites? 
Do I cultivate a spirit of penance? Do I cherish 
an efficacious desire of perfection? Am I gener- 
ous and fervent in God's service? Do I spend my 
whole life for His glory? out of love for Jesus 
and Mary? according to God's holy will? 
Protestation for a Happy Death. (See p, 77.) 



JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS 



HYMN 

^0 Jesus in Ms ipassfon 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

My Jesus ! say what wretch has dared 

Thy sacred hands to bind? 
And who has dared to buifet so 

Thy face so meek and kind ? 

'Tis I have thus ungrateful been, 

Yet, J esus, pity take ! 
Oh, spare and pardon me, my Lord 

For Thy sweet mercy's sake ! 

My Jesus ! who with spittle vile 

Profaned Thy sacred brow'? 
Or whose unpitying scourge has made 

Thy precious blood to flow ? 

'Tis I have thus ungrateful been ; 

Yet, Jesus, pity take ! 
Oh, spare and pardon me, my Lord, 

For Thy sweet mercy's sake ! 

My Jesus ! whose the hand that wove 

That cruel thorny crown'? 
Who made that hard and heavy cross 

That weighs Thy shoulders down ? 

'Tis I have thus ungrateful been. 

Yet, Jesus, pity take; 
Oh, spare and pardon me, my Lord, 

For Thy sweet mercy's sake ! 

My Jesus ! who has mocked Thy thirst 

With vinegar and gall"? 
Who held the nails that pierced Thy hands, 

And made the hammer fall *? 

'Tis I have thus ungrateful been ; 

Yet, Jesus, pity take ! 
Oh, spare and pardon me, my Lord 

For Thy sweet mercy's sake ! 



388 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



My Jesus ! say, who dared to nail 

Those tender feet of Thine"? 
And whose the arm that raised the lance 

To pierce that heart divine'? 

'Tis I have thus ungrateful been 

Yet, Jesus, pity take ! 
Oh, spare and pardon me, my Lord, 

For Thy sweet mercy^s sake ! 

And Maiy, who has murdered thus 

Thy loved and only One? 
Canst thou forgive the blood-stamed hand 

That robbed thee of thy Son? 

^Tis I have thus ungrateful been 

To Jesus and to thee; 
Forgive Thou me for Jesus' sake, 

And pray to Him for me. 



IPtai^er to Scene Suffering 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

0 my Jesus ! by that humility which Thou didst 
practise in washing the feet of Thy disciples, I 
pray Thee to bestow upon me the grace of true 
humility, that I may humble myself to all, espe- 
cially to such as treat me with contempt. 

My Jesus, by that sorrow which Thou didst suf- 
fer in the garden, sufficient, as it was, to cause 
Thy death, I pray Thee to deliver me from the 
sorrow of hell, from living forevermore at a dis- 
tance from Thee, and without the power of ever 
loving Thee. 

My Jesus, by that horror which Thou hadst for 
my sins, which were then present to Thy sight, 
give me a true sorrow for all the offences which 
I have committed against Thee. 



JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS 389 



My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst ex- 
perience at seeing Thyself betrayed by Judas with 
a kiss, give me the grace to be ever faithful to 
Thee, and nevermore to betray Thee, as I have 
done in times past. 

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst feel 
at seeing Thyself bound like a culprit to be taken 
before the judges, I pray Thee to bind me to Thy- 
self by the sweet chain of holy love, that so I may 
nevermore see myself separated from Thee, my 
only good. 

My Jesus, by all those insults, buffetings, and 
spittings which Thou didst suffer on that night in 
the house of Caiphas, give me the strength to 
suffer in peace, for love of Thee, all the affronts 
which I shall meet with from men. 

My Jesus, by that ridicule which Thou didst re- 
ceive from Herod when Thou wast treated as a 
madman, give me the grace to endure with pa- 
tience all that men shall say of me, treating me as 
base, senseless, or wicked. 

My J esus, by that outrage which Thou didst re- 
ceive from the Jews in seeing Thyself placed after 
Barabbas, give me the grace to suffer with pa- 
tience the dishonor of seeing myself placed after 
others. 

My J esus, by that pain which Thou didst suffer 
in Thy most holy body when Thou wast so cruelly 
scourged, give me the grace to suffer with patience 
all the pains of sickness. 

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst suffer 
in Thy most sacred head when it was pierced with 
thorns, give me grace never to consent to thoughts 
displeasing to Thee. 

My Jesus, by that act of Thine by which Thou 
didst accept the death of the cross, to which Pilate 
condemned Thee, give me the grace to accept my 



390 



THE DAY OF PRACTICE 



death with resignation, together with all the other 
pains which will accompany it. 

My Jesus, by the pain which Thon didst suffer 
in carrying Thy cross on Thy journey to Calvary, 
give me the grace to suffer with patience all my 
crosses in this life. 

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst suffer 
in having the nails driven through Thy hands and 
Thy feet, I pray Thee to nail my will unto Thy 
feet, that I may will nothing save that which Thou 
dost will. 

My Jesus, by that affliction which Thou didst 
suffer in having gall given Thee to drink, give me 
the grace not to otfend Thee by intemperance in 
eating and drinking. 

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst ex- 
perience in taking leave of Thy holy mother upon 
the cross, deliver me from an inordinate love 
for my relatives, or for any other creature, that 
so my heart may be wholly and always Thine. 

My Jesus, by that desolation which Thou didst 
suffer in Thy death in seeing Thyself abandoned 
by Thy eternal Father, give me the grace to suffer 
all desolation with patience, without ever losing 
my confidence in Thy goodness. 

My Jesus, by those three hours of affliction and 
agony which Thou didst suffer when dying upon 
the cross, give me the grace to suffer with resigna- 
tion, for love of Thee, my agony at the hour of 
death. 

My Jesus, by that great sorrow which Thou 
didst feel when Thy most holy soul, at the moment 
of death, separated itself from Thy most sacred 
body, give me the grace to breathe forth my soul 
in the hour of my death, offering up my sorrow 
then to Thee, together with an act of perfect love. 



JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS 391 



that so I may go to love Tliee in heaven, face to 
face, with all my strength, and for all eternity. 

And thee, most holy Virgin, and my mother 
Mary, by that sword which pierced thy heart when 
thon didst behold thy Son bow down His head and 
expire, do I pray to assist me in the hour of my 
death, that so I may come to praise thee and to 
thank thee in paradise for all the graces that thou 
hast obtained for me from God. 



THE EIGHTH DAY 



H 2)a? of Tilnion 

Dedicated to the Spirit of Love 
Disposition. — Love. 

■Motto. — ''Lord, Thou knowest that I love 
Thee" {John xxi. 15). 

The Special End of all the exercises of this day 
is to unite the soul intimately with God and thus 
enable her to attain the realization of the Chris- 
tian Ideal in daily life. 

Reading. — ''Eeiigious Perfection" from your 
Rules and Constitutions. 

PEAYER TO OBTAIN THE LOVE OF GOD 

Holy Spirit, divine consoler! I adore Thee as 
my true God, just as I adore God the Father and 
God the Son. I bless Thee in union with the 
blessings that Thou dost receive from the angels 
and seraphs. I offer Thee my whole heart, and 
I render Thee heartfelt thanks for all the benefits 
that Thou hast bestowed and dost unceasingly be- 
stow upon the world. 0 holy Spirit, who art the 
author of all supernatural gifts, and who didst 
enrich with immense favors the soul of the blessed 
Virgin Mary, the mother of God, I beseech Thee 
to visit me by Thy grace and Thy love, and to 
grant me the plenitude of charity, that I may love 
the Lord my God with my whole heart, and with 
my whole soul, and with all my mind, and my 
neighbor as myself for the love of God, that know- 

302 



THE EMPTY CROSS 



393 



ing, loving, and serving God perfectly on earth, 
I may have the assurance of being united to Thee 
forever in heaven. 

THOUGHTS AND EJACULATIONS 

Thou wilt not leave me; I will not leave Thee. 
I hope that I may always be united to Thee, 0 
God of my soul! 

Thou hast done more than enough to oblige me 
to love Thee. I love Thee, I love Thee! 

Thou lovest them that love Thee ; I love Thee ; 
do Thou also love me. 

I will love Thee, my God, without reserve. 

I would that all men loved Thee as Thou de- 
servest. 

I wish to do everything that I know to be Thy 
pleasure. 

0 loving heart of Jesus ! inflame this poor heart 
of mine. 

0 Mary, my mother, make me all for Jesus. 



FIRST MEDITATION 

XTbe Bmpti^ Cross— Ube Cross in Datl^ %itc 

Point I 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Eaise thy eyes to that high cross on Calvary 
from which Joseph and Nicodemus took down the 
body of the Lord. It is still dyed with the blood 
of the Son of God. It is the most precious relic 
in the Church. It was once a sign of shame and 
execration, but it has now been sanctified by the 
death of the God-Man. To-day it is respected 



394 



A DAY OF UNION 



througliout the world. It occupies the place of 
honor in every Catholic home; it graces the dia- 
dem of princes. On this wood of shame Our Lord 
redeemed the world and earned for mankind peace 
and blessing for time and eternity. Thus, the 
cross has indeed become the tree of life, from 
which an inexhaustible fount of grace comes forth 
for the sanctification of all mankind. The entire 
supernatural life of redeemed mankind has its 
source and support in the cross, in that cross of 
which St. Paul has said: Making peace through 
the blood of His cross" {Col i. 20). ''He hath 
quickened (you) together with Him, forgiving you 
all offences. Blotting out the handwriting of the 
decree that was against us . . . And He hath 
taken the same out of the way, fastening it to 
the cross" (Col. ii. 13-14). Holy Church there- 
fore exclaims in admiration on Good Friday, ^'0 
crux ave, spes unica/' ''Hail, 0 cross, our only 
hope." With the same faith we pray: "We 
adore Thee, 0 Christ, and praise Thee, because 
by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the 
world !" 

Holy Church, enlightened and directed by the 
Holy Spirit, applies to us all the fruits of the re- 
demption with the cross. With the sign of the 
cross every sacrament is administered, every 
blessing is conferred. ^"^Hien the Christian dies, 
the cross is erected over his remains, that he may 
sleep peacefully in its shade till the final resur- 
rection. On his awakening he will again see that 
cross, now glorious and refulgent in the heavens, 
that cross, which had been his blessing during life, 
and which received his dying kiss. 

Behold, then, my soul, the exalted significance 
of the cross. Often raise thy eyes to the wood of 
the cross! Consider the countless blessings that 



THE EMPTY CROSS 



395 



thou owest to this sign of thy redemption ! Cling 
to the cross in life and in death. Embrace it with 
a lively faith in Him who has shed His blood 
upon it, with an unshaken confidence in Him, who 
by the cross has conquered the world. Ask thy- 
self, ^*How have I reverenced the cross in the 
past? Have I always treasured it as a sign and 
token of my redemption? As a pledge of God's 
undying love and mercy? as the foundation of my 
faith ? as the ground of my hope ? as a pledge of a 
glorious resurrection? as a symbol and a means 
of every blessing? Have I never been ashamed 
of it, never denied it? Do I always carry an 
image of my crucified Saviour with me? Do I 
always sign myself devoutly with the sign of the 
cross? 

AFFECTIONS AND PRAYEES 

Hail, 0 cross, my only hope, I salute thee as the 
source of all blessings. I embrace thee as the dear- 
est token of God's love for me. I press thee to my 
heart, because my Saviour shed His blood for me 
upon thee. I pity all who do not love thee. I 
regret the day that I spent without thee. Through 
thee the graces which my Jesus earned for me are 
continually applied to me. 0 saving sign, be thou 
ever in my mind. Be thou ever the object of my 
love. 0 crucified Saviour, I detest every act of 
my life that has not been an act of love for Thee ; 
I desire to live only for Thee. May the Sign of 
the Cross ever remind me of Thy exceeding great 
love for me. 0 holy Spirit, who appliest to me 
the fruits of the redemption by means of the 
cross in the sacraments and blessings of the 
Church, teach me to reverence the cross during 
life, that it may be my consolation at death. 



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A DAY OF UNION 



Point II 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The cross is the foundation of the spiritual life. 
Upon the cross the Saviour of the world suffered 
every conceivable pain, privation, and insult that 
a mortal can undergo. By this voluntary, most 
meritorious suffering, He sanctified all human 
suffering and made it a fount of virtue. By 
watering the cross of tribulation with His pre- 
cious blood He made of it a living olive-tree bear- 
ing fruit unto life eternal. Thus the cross has 
become the symbol of all human infirmity, espe- 
cially of that suffering which is sanctified and 
supernaturalized by the merits of the Son of 
God. 

Taken in this sense the cross still stands on 
Golgotha's heights and invites all loving hearts 
to draw nigh. The first precious fruit that 
ripened on this tree is Christ, ^Hhe first-fruits of 
them that sleep'' (1 Cor. xv. 20). But the first 
fruit shall not be the last, *^Come up hither" 
(Apoc. iv. 1). The empty cross calls out to all 
the faithful. Its arms are extended like fruit- 
bearing branches. It has been so thoroughly 
watered by the blood of the dying Saviour that it 
has borne fruit for centuries and will continue to 
bear until the end of time. Millions of holy mar- 
tyrs, confessors, and virgins have already fol- 
lowed the ^^first-fruits" and millions more will 
ripen on this tree of life. The cross is the seal 
with which the Holy Ghost signs the elect. It is 
the fire in which He purifies the gold of virtue, the 
balance in which He weighs our good works. It 
is the school in which He teaches perfection; the 
instrument the Holy Ghost uses to transform 
man into a saiut of God. The Holy Spirit uses 



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on man the cross of suffering to attain a three- 
fold end. 

1. He makes use of sufferings, that were sancti- 
fied by the earthly life of Jesus, to satisfy divine 
justice for the temporal punishment of man's sins, 
which God requires even after he has remitted 
the guilt and eternal punishment, 

2. He, moreover, makes use of the cross of 
suffering to sanctify and ennoble Christian souls. 
By suffering, the human heart is made a fit re- 
ceptacle for the countless graces which the Holy 
Spirit bestows upon man. By suffering, our af- 
fections are involuntarily purified from earthly 
objects and united to our Saviour, who has said: 
' ' And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw 
all things to Myself" {John xii. 32). 

3. It is, finally, by means of the cross that the 
Holy Spirit makes all supernatural virtues flour- 
ish in the human heart. He who can not practise 
virtue in adversity has not mastered the first 
elements of the spiritual life. But they who act 
in conformity with God's holy will in all their 
tribulations, can say with the Apostle, ^^The 
Spirit Himself giveth testimony to our spirit, that 
we are the sons of God" {Rom, viii. 16). The 
words of Eaphael the archangel to Tobias must 
be fulfilled: Because thou wast acceptable to 
God, it was necessary that temptation should 
prove thee" {Toh. xii. 13). 

Behold, my soul, the cross on Calvary. Ascend 
it willingly as did thy Saviour. Make thyself 
conformable to Him who died upon the cross for 
love of thee. On this, the tree of life of the new 
covenant, thou must ripen as the second fruit of 
the redemption. With this seal thou must be 
signed by the Holy Ghost before He will claim 
thee as His own. In this fire He will purify thee 



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A DAY OF UNION 



from the dross of sin. In this balance He will 
weigh thee to determine thy value. In this school 
He will teach the way of perfection. By means of 
the cross the Holy Spirit will transform thee into 
a saint of God. How didst thou regard the cross 
in the past? Didst thou, like St. Peter, try to 
escape it? Follow thy Saviour, then, to the cross 
as did St. Peter, for, remember, if thou dost wish 
to reign with Christ thou must die with Christ 
upon the cross. 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 holy Spirit, I embrace the cross. I desire to 
follow my divine model even unto death. Let me 
suffer now to satisfy for my sins. ^'Here cut, 
burn, here spare not, that Thou mayest spare me 
in eternity." Draw my affections away from 
things of earth. Center them entirely in Him 
who alone is worthy of all love. Make me be a 
Christian not only in name, but a follower of 
Christ in reality. Make me ready to suffer with 
Christ and thus to enter into glory. I regret es- 
pecially those actions of my life by which I tried 
to escape the cross in the past. Pardon the sins 
of my youth, the sins of ignorance. Give me the 
grace always to will what Thou wiliest, as Thou 
wiliest, when Thou wiliest, and because Thou wili- 
est. Put me on the cross, but give me strength to 
endure. Sign me with the cross, but keep me in 
Thy grace. Purify me with the cross, but make me 
persevere. Let me enter the school of the cross, 
but lead me on to perfection. 

Resolution 

^^God forbid that I should glory, save in the 
cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the 
world is crucified to me and I to the world" [Gak 



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399 



vi. 14). 0 cross of Jesus, fix thyself within my 
heart, and let the remembrance of Thee abide 
there always, to be continually wounding me and 
inflaming me with love. I love Thee, Jesus, in- 
finite goodness. I love Thee, 0 infinite love ; Thou 
art, and shalt ever be, my one and only love. 0 
Mary, mother of love, do thou obtain love for me. 



OPTIONAL REFLECTIONS 

Ont Salvation ITa In tbe Ctoes 

{From St, Alphonsus) 

Behold the wood of the cross, on which hung 
the salvation of the world!" So sings Holy 
Church on Good Friday. In the cross is our sal- 
vation, our strength against temptations, our de- 
tachment from earthly pleasures; in the cross is 
found the true love of God. We must, therefore, 
resolve to bear with patience that cross which 
Jesus Christ sends us, and to die upon it for the 
sake of Jesus Christ, as He died upon His cross 
for love of us. There is no other way to enter 
heaven but to resign ourselves until death to 
tribulation. And thus we may find peace, even 
in suffering. When the cross comes, where shall 
we find peace, except by uniting ourselves to the 
divine will ! If we do not do so, go where we will, 
do what we may, we shall never fly from the 
weight of the cross. On the other hand, if we 
carry our cross with good-will, it will bear us to 
heaven, and give us peace on earth. 

What does he gain who refuses the cross I He 
increases its weight. But he who embraces it, 
and bears it with patience, lightens its weight, 
and the weight itself becom.es a consolation; for 



400 



A DAY OF UNION 



God gives an abundance of grace to all those who 
carry the cross with good-will in order to please 
Him. By the law of nature there is no pleasure 
in suffering; but divine love, when it reigns in a 
heart, makes that heart take delight, or at least 
find peace in its sufferings. 

Oh, that we would consider the happy condition 
which will be ours in paradise, if we be faith- 
ful to God in enduring toils without lament- 
ing, if we do not complain against God, who com- 
mands us to suffer, but say with Job, ^^Let this 
be my comfort, that He should not spare in afflict- 
ing me, nor contradict the words of the Holy One. ' ' 
If we are sinners and have deserved hell, this 
should be our comfort in the tribulations which 
befall us, that we are chastised in this life; be- 
cause this is the sure sign that God will deliver us 
from eternal chastisement. Miserable is that sin- 
ner who prospers in this world. 

Whosoever suffers a bitter trial, let him cast a 
glance at the hell which he has deserved, and thus 
the pains which he endures will seem light. If, 
then, we have committed sins, this ought to be 
our continual prayer to God : ^ ' 0 Lord, spare me 
not suffering, but give me, I pray Thee, strength 
to endure it with patience, that I may not oppose 
myself to Thy holy will. I will not stand against 
the words of the Holy One ; in everything I unite 
myself to that which Thou wilt appoint for me, 
saying always, with Jesus Christ, ^Even so. 
Father; for so hath it seemed good in Thy 
sight.' " 

The soul which is governed by divine love seeks 
only God. ^^When a man has given all the sub- 
stance of his house for love, he will despise it as 
nothing. He that loves God despises and re- 
nounces everything that does not help him to love 



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401 



God; and in all the good works that he does, in 
his penitential acts and his labors for the glory of 
God, he does not seek consolations and sweet- 
ness of spirit; it is enough for hira to know that 
he pleases God. In a word, he ever strives in all 
things to deny himself, renouncing every pleasure 
of his own ; and then he boasts of nothing and is 
puffed up with nothing; but calls himself an un- 
profitable servant ; and, setting himself in the low- 
est place, he abandons himself to the divine will 
and mercy. 

We must change our tastes in order to become 
saints. If we do not arrive at a state in which 
bitter appears sweet, and sweet bitter, we shall 
never attain to a perfect union with God. In this 
consists all our security and perfection : in suffer- 
ing with resignation all things that are contrary 
to our inclinations, as they happen to us day by 
day, whether they are small or great. And we 
must suffer them for those purposes for which 
Our Lord desires that we should endure them: 
to purify ourselves from the sins we have com- 
mitted, to merit eternal life, to please God, which 
is the chief and most noble end at which we can 
aim in all our doings. 

Let us, then, ever offer ourselves to God, to 
suffer every cross that He may send us ; and let 
us take care to be always ready to endure every 
toil for the love of Him, in order that when it 
comes we may be ready to embrace it, saying, as 
Jesus Christ said to Peter when He was taken in 
the garden by the Jews to be led to death, ^'The 
cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I 
not drink it?" God hath given me this cross 
for my good, and shall I say to Him that I will 
not receive it ? 

And whenever the weight of any cross seems 



402 



A DAY OF UNION 



very heavy, let us immediately have recourse to 
prayer, and God will give ns strength to endure 
it meritoriously. And let us then recollect what 
St. Paul said, that no tribulation of this world, 
however grievous it may be, can be compared with 
the glory which God prepares for us in the world 
to come. Let us, therefore, reanimate our faith 
whenever tribulations afflict us; let us first cast 
our eyes upon the crucified One, who was in 
agony for us upon the cross, and let us look, also, 
at paradise, and on the blessings that God pre- 
pares for those who suffer for His love ; and thus 
we shall not be fainthearted but shall thank Him 
for the sufferings he sends us, and shall even de- 
sire that He may oblige us to suffer greater 
things. Oh, how the saints rejoice in heaven, not 
that they have possessed honors and pleasures 
upon earth, but that they have suffered for Jesus 
Christ! Everything that passes is trifling; that 
only is great which is eternal, and never passes 
away. 

0 my Jesus ! how comforting is that which Thou 
sayest to me, '^Turn unto Me, and I will turn to 
you.'' For the sake of creatures, and of my own 
miserable tastes, I have left Thee; now I leave 
all, and turn to Thee; and I am confident that 
Thou wilt not reject me, if I desire to love Thee; 
for Thou hast told me that Thou art ready to em- 
brace me. Receive me, then, into Thy grace; 
make me know the great good that Thou art, and 
the love that Thou hast borne for me, that I may 
nevermore leave Thee. 0 my Jesus, pardon me; 
0 my beloved ! pardon me the otf ences I have com- 
mitted against Thee. Give me the love of Thee, 
and then do with me what Thou wilt. Chastise me 
as much as Thou wilt; deprive me of everything, 
but deprive me not of Thyself. Were the whole 



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403 



world to oome and offer me all its blessings, I 
declare that I desire Thee alone, and nothing 
more. 0 my mother ! recommend me to thy Son ; 
He gives thee whatever thou askest; in thee I 
trust. 



f M Dart of ^itc—Zbc BbanOonment of 5eau0 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

**My God, my God, ivliy hast Thou forsaken 
•7ner' (Matt, xxvii. 46). 

0 God! who will not compassionate the Son of 
God, who, for love of men is dying in grief 
and agony upon the cross? He is tormented ex- 
ternally in His body by many wounds, and in- 
ternally He is so afflicted and sad that He seeks 
solace for His great sorrow from the eternal 
Father; but His Father, in order to satisfy His 
divine justice, abandons Him, and leaves Him to 
die desolate and deprived of every consolation. 

0 desolate death of my Eedeemer, thou art my 
hope! 0 my abandoned Jesus, Thy merits make 
me hope that I shall not remain abandoned and 
separated from Thee forever in hell. I do not 
ask to live in consolation on this earth; I em- 
brace all the pains and desolations that Thou 
mayest send me. He is not worthy of consolation 
who by offending Thee has merited for himself 
eternal torments. It is enough for me to love 
Thee and to live in Thy grace. This alone do I 
beg of Thee; let me nevermore see myself de- 
prived of Thy love. Let me be abandoned by all ; 
do Thou not abandon me in my extremity. I love 
Thee, my Jesus, who didst die abandoned for me. 
I love Thee, my only good, my only hope, my 
only love. 



404 



A DAY OF UNION 



OPTIONAL READINGS 

•ff. jflBarSt tbe ^oOel of %ovc for (3o& 

{From St. Alplionsus) 

St. Anslem says that ' ' wliere there is the great- 
est purity, there is the greatest charity." The 
purer a heart, the less there is of self within it, 
the more it will be filled with love for God. Most 
holy Mary, because she was all humility and 
utterly free from love of self, was entirely filled 
with divine love, so that she surpassed all men and 
all angels in love of God. Therefore St. Francis 
de Sales has justly called her, ^^the queen of 
love." The Lord indeed has given to men the 
precept to love Him with their whole heart; but, 
this precept will never be perfectly fulfilled by 
mankind on this earth; its fulfilment will come 
only in heaven. In a certain sense, however, it 
would be unbecoming for God to give a command- 
ment which none could perfectly fulfil, if a blessed 
mother had not perfectly fulfilled it. And this is 
confirmed by Eichard of St. Victor, who says: 
*^The mother of our Emmanuel was perfect in all 
virtues. Who has ever fulfilled as she did that 
first commandment : ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy 
God with thy whole heart T ' In our blessed Lady 
divine love was so ardent that there could be no 
defect of any kind in her. ^'Divine love," says 
St. Bernard, ^'so penetrated and pervaded the 
soul of Mary, that no part was left untouched by 
it, so that she loved with her whole heart, her 
whole soul, and her whole strength, and was full 
of grace." Wherefore Mary might well have 
said: ^'My beloved has given Himself wholly to 
me, and I give myself wholly to Him." ^'My be- 
loved to me, and I to Him." Ah, well might even 



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405 



the seraphim descend from heaven to learn from 
the heart of the Virgin how to love God. 

God, who is love, came on earth to kindle in all 
men the fire of His holy love; but He inflamed 
no heart so much as the heart of His mother, who, 
being entirely pure and free from every earthly 
affection, was perfectly ready to be enkindled by 
this blessed flame. Hence the heart of Mary be- 
came all fire and flames, as we read of her in the 
sacred Canticles : ^ ' The lamps thereof are fire and 
flames;" fire burning within, through love, 
and flames shining forth upon all, by the practice 
of virtue; Mary, therefore, when she bore Jesus 
in her arms, might indeed have called herself, 
''Fire carrying fire." Yes, as fire heats iron, the 
Holy Spirit so wholly inflamed Mary that nothing 
was seen in her but the flame of the Holy Ghost, 
nothing was felt but the fire of the love of God. 
The bush which Moses saw entirely in flames with- 
out being consumed, was really a s;>Tnbol of the 
heart of Mary. Wherefore with reason was she 
seen by St. John clothed with the sun; for she 
was so united to God by love that it seems as if 
no creature could be more united to Him. Mary, 
then, is justly described as clothed with the sun, for 
she has penetrated to an incredible depth the 
abyss of divine wisdom, so that, as far as it is 
permitted to a mere creature, she appears im- 
mersed in that inaccessible light. 

Therefore the holy Virgin was never tempted 
by the spirits of hell. ''For as flies are driven 
away by a great fire, so from the heart of Mary, 
which was one flame of love, the devils fled, and 
did not even dare approach her." The Virgin 
was terrible to the princes of darkness, so that 
they did not presume to approach and tempt her, 
for the flame of charity deterred them. Mary 



406 



A DAY OF UNION 



herself revealed to St. Bridget tliat in this world 
she had no other thought, no other desire, no other 
joy, than God. So that her blessed soul being, as 
it were, on this earth in a continual contemplation 
of God, the acts of love she made were innumera- 
ble. Mary did not so much repeat the acts of love 
in order, as other saints do, but, by a singular 
privilege, always actually loved God with one con- 
tinual act. Like the royal eagle, she kept her eye 
always fixed upon the divine Son, so that the 
actions of life did not prevent her from loving, 
nor did love prevent her from acting. Thus, 
Mary was prefigured by the altar of propitiation 
on which the fire was never extinguished by day 
or by night. 

Neither did sleep interrupt Mary's love for 
God. For if such a privilege was given to our 
first parents in the state of innocence, it certainly 
could not be denied to our blessed Mother. Hence 
we may say of Mary, While her body rested, her 
soul watched. ' ' Thus were verified in her the words 
of the Wise Man ; ^ ' Her lamp shall not be put out in 
the night.'' Yes, for while her blessed body, with 
a light sleep, took its needed rest, her soul freely 
rose to God, so that at that time her contemplation 
was more perfect than is that of other persons 
when awake. Therefore could she well say with 
the spouse in the Canticles : ^ ' I sleep and my heart 
watcheth." Happy in sleep as in waking." 
In a word, Mary, while she lived on earth, was 
continually loving God. And she never did any- 
thing that she did not know was pleasing to God ; 
and she loved Him as much as she knew He ought 
to be loved. Hence Mary was filled with so great 
a charity that a greater was not possible in any 
pure creature on this earth. For this reason the 
Blessed Virgin, by her ardent charity, was made 



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407 



so beautiful and so enamored her God, that cap- 
tivated, as it were, by love of her, He descended 
into her womb to become man. Wherefore St. 
Bernardino exclaims: ^'Behold a Virgin who by 
her virtue has wounded and taken captive the 
heart of God." 

But since Mary loves her God so much, she cer- 
tainly requires from her servants nothing else so 
much as that they should love God to as great a 
degree as they can. And precisely this did she 
say to the blessed Angela de Foligno one day after 
communion. And to St. Bridget she said: 
Daughter, if you wish to bind me to you, love 
my Son." Mary desires nothing more than to 
see her beloved, who is God, loved by all. No- 
varino asks why the holy Virgin, with the spouse 
in the Canticles, begged the angels to make known 
to her Lord the great love she bore Him. Did not 
God know how much she loved Him? Why does 
she desire to show the wound to her beloved who 
gave the wound? The same author answers, that 
the Blessed Mother did not wish by this to make 
known her love to God, but to us ; that as she was 
wounded, she might be able to wound us also with 
divine love. And because she was wholly in- 
flamed with the love of God, she inflames all those 
who love and approach her, and renders them like 
unto herself. For this reason St. Catherine of 
Sienna called Mary, ^^the bearer of the flame of 
divine love." If we, also, wish to burn with this 
blessed flame, let us always endeavor to draw near 
to our Mother with prayers and affections. 

0 queen of love, Mary, the most lovely, the 
most beloved, and the most loving of all crea- 
tures ! Oh, my Mother, thou wert always wholly 
inflamed with love to God ; deign to bestow on me 
at least one spark of it. Thou didst pray thy 



408 



A DAY OF UNION 



Son for that family whose wine had failed, and 
wilt thou not pray for us, who are wanting in love 
to God, whom we are under such obligations to 
love? Say to Jesus, '^They have no love.'' We 
ask of thee no other favor than this. 0 Mother, 
by the great love thou hadst for Jesus, graciously 
hear us and pray for us. Amen. 



•ffir, Ibappinees ©btafneJ) perfect Conformltis to 
<5oD^6 mm 

{From. 8t, AlpJionsus) 

He who acts in perfect conformity with God's 
will not only becomes a saint, but enjoys, even 
in this world, a perpetual peace. Alfonso the 
Great, king of Aragon, and a most wise prince, 
on being asked one day whom he considered the 
happiest man in the world, replied: "He who 
abandons himself to the will of God, and receives 
all things, whether prosperous or adverse, as from 
His hands." 

"To those who love God, all things work unto 
good." Those who love God are ever content, 
because their whole pleasure lies in the accom- 
plishment, even in things that run counter to them- 
selves, of the divine will; and hence even afflic- 
tions bring to them contentment, through the 
thought that in their acceptance they are giving 
pleasure to God whom they love: "Whatsoever 
shall befall the just man, it shall not make him 
sad." And, in truth, what greater contentment 
can a man experience than in seeing the accom- 
plishment of all that he desires 1 For to one who 
desires nothing save what God desires, every- 
thing he wishes comes to pass, since all things 
in the world (sin only excepted^, happen through 



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409 



the will of God. There is a story in the lives of 
the Fathers, of a certain countryman whose land 
was more productive than that of others, and who, 
on being asked how it happened, replied that it 
was not a cause for surprise, because he always 
had just such weather as he desired. ^^And how 
so?" it was asked. Because," he replied, "I 
desire no weather but that which God desires; 
and as I desire what God desires, He gives me 
the fruits of the earth as I desire them." 

Souls that are truly resigned, if they are under 
humiliation, desire this; if they suffer poverty, 
they desire to be poor, in short, whatever happens 
to them that they desire, and therefore they are 
happy. They are in humble station, they wish 
for this; they are poor, they make poverty their 
delight; therefore we must say of them, ^^they 
are happy." When cold or heat, rain or wind, 
prevails, he who is in a state of union with 
the divine will says, I wish it to be cold, I wish 
it to be hot; I wish the wind to blow, the rain to 
fall, because God wishes it so. Does poverty, 
persecution, sickness, death, come upon me! I 
also wish (says such a one) to be poor, perse- 
cuted, sick ; I wish even to die, because God wishes 
it thus. 

This is the beautiful liberty which the children 
of God enjoy, worth more than all the domains 
and all the kingdoms of the world. This is the 
great peace that the saints experience, which ' ' sur- 
passeth all understanding," with which all the 
pleasures of the senses, all gaieties, festivities, 
distinctions, and all other worldly satisfactions, 
can not compete; for these, being, as they are, 
unsubstantial and transitory, although while they 
last they may be fascinating to the senses, never- 
theless do not bring contentment, but affliction to 



410 



A DAY OF UNION 



the spirit, wherein true contentment resides; so 
that Solomon, after having enjoyed such earthly 
pleasures to the full, cried out, in his affliction, 
*^But this also is vanity and vexation of spirit." 

''The foor' (says Holy Scripture), ''is changed 
like the moon, the holy man continueth in wisdom 
like the sun." The fool — that is to say, the sin- 
ner — changes like the moon, which to-day waxes, 
to-morrow wanes. To-day you will see that sin- 
ner laughing, to-morrow weeping; to-day all 
gentleness, to-morrow furious with anger. And 
why so? because his contentment depends on the 
prosperity or the adversity he meets with; and 
therefore he varies as the circumstances which 
befall him vary. "Whereas the just man is like 
the sun, ever uniform in his serenity under what- 
ever circumstances may come to pass; because 
his contentment lies in his conformity to the di- 
vine will, and therefore he enjoys a peace which 
nothing can disturb. ' ' And on earth peace to men 
of good will," said the angel to the shepherds. 
And who are these men of good will but the souls 
who are at all times in union with the will of God, 
which is supremely good and perfect 1 ' ' The will 
of God is good, delightful, and perfect." Yes, 
because He wills only that which is good and per- 
fect. 

The saints, through their conformity to the di- 
vine will, have enjoyed in this world a paradise 
in anticipation. St. Dorotheus tells us that it was 
thus that the ancient Fathers kept themselves in 
profound peace, receiving all things as they did 
from the hands of God. When St. Mary Magda- 
lene de Pazzi heard mention only of the will of 
God, she used to experience such intense consola- 
tion that she fell into an ecstasy of love. And 
although, on the other hand, the sting of adverse 



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411 



circumstances will not fail to make itself felt, yet 
its influence will not extend beyond the lower part 
of our nature; for in tlie higher part of the soul 
there will reign peace and tranquillity, while the 
will remains in. union with that of God. ^^Your 
joy,'' said the Redeemer to the apostles, ^*no man 
shall take from you . . . that your joy may be 
full. ' ' He who is ever in conformity to the divine 
will possesses a full and perpetual joy; full, be- 
cause he has all that he wishes ; perpetual, because 
it is a joy of which no man can deprive him, while, 
at the same time, no one can prevent that which 
God wills from coming to pass. 

Father John Tauler relates of himself, that 
after having for many years prayed God to send 
some one to instruct him in the spiritual life, he 
one day heard a voice saying to him, ' 'Go to such a 
church, and you will find what you ask." On 
reaching the church, he found a beggar at the gate 
barefooted and scantily clothed. He saluted him 
with the greeting, ''Good day, my friend." The 
poor man replied, "Sir, I do not remember ever 
to have had a bad day." The Father rejoined: 
*'God grant you a happy life"; to which he 
answered, "But I have never been unhappy." 
And then he went on to say, "Listen, Father; it 
is not without reason that I have told you I have 
never had a bad day; because when I suffer hun- 
ger, I praise God; when it snows or rains, I bless 
Him; if I am treated with contempt, or repulsed 
by any, or if I experience misfortunes of any other 
kind, I always give glory to my God for it. I 
said, besides, that I have never been unhappy, 
and this also is true; because it is my habit to 
desire without reserve all that God desires ; there- 
fore all that happens to me, whether it be pleasant 
or painful, I receive from His hands with joy, as 



412 



A DAY OF UNION 



being what is best for me; aud herein lies my 
happiness." **And if it should ever happen,'' 
said Tanler, *^that God willed yon to be damned, 
what would you say then?" ^'If God were to 
will this," replied the beggar, ^^I would, with all 
humility and love, lock myself so fast in my 
Lord's embrace, and hold Him so tight, that if 
it were to be His will to cast me down into hell. 
He would be obliged to come along with me, and 
thus, with Him, it would be sweeter to me to be 
in hell than to possess without Him all the enjoy- 
ments of heaven." Where was it that you 
found God?" said the Father. ^'I found Him 
when I took leave of creatures," was the reply. 
^^Who are you?" The poor man replied, ^^I am 
a king." ^'And where is your kingdom?" ^^It 
is within my soul, where I keep everything in due 
order; the passions are subjected to reason, and 
reason to God." In conclusion Tauler asked him 
what it was that had led him on to such a high de- 
gree of perfection. ' ^ It has been silence, ' ' he said, 
^'observing silence with man, in order to hold 
converse with God; and also the union which I 
have maintained with my Lord, in whom I have 
found, and still do find, all my peace." Such, in 
short, had this poor man become through his 
union with the divine will; and certainly he was, 
in all his poverty, more wealthy than all the mon- 
archs of the earth, and in his sufferings more 
happy than all the men of the world with their 
earthly pleasures. 



OUR GLORIOUS SAVIOUR 413 



SECOND MEDITATION 

©ur Glorious Saviour in tbe Blessed 
Sacrament 

Point I 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The Holy Spirit points to the incarnate Son of 
God not only as onr model in daily life but also as 
our glorious reward, if we are attentive to His 
inspirations and follow in His footsteps. Our 
Lord rose glorious and immortal on Easter Sun- 
day. The day of suffering and humiliation had 
passed forever. The time of triumph, the time of 
glory, the time of indescribable and unending 
happiness had arrived. Now He can exclaim in 
the words of the Psalmist: According to the 
multitude of my sorrows in my heart, Thy com- 
forts have given joy to my soul" {Ps, xciv. 19). 
Now are fulfilled the words of St. Paul: ^^God 
also hath exalted Him, and hath given Him a 
name which is above all names : That in the name 
of Jesus every knee should bow of those that are 
in heaven, on earth, and under the earth" 
{Philipp. ii. 9-10). *'He hath on His garment, 
and on His thigh written, ^King of kings, and 
Lord of lords' " {Apoc. xix. 16). If Jesus had 
appeared to the apostles in the fulness of His 
glory, the apostles would have been unable to 
bear such happiness and would have died of joy. 
Yes, for the glory of the Son of God is exceed- 
ingly great. His triumph over death is the foun- 
dation of our hope. If we follow Him courage- 
ously on the way of humiliation, suffering, and 
conformity to God's holy will, we may confidently 
look to the future. ^'If we suffer with Him, that 



414 



A DAY OF UNION 



we may also be glorified with Him'' (Rom. viii. 
17). 

At present we can not see the Saviour in the 
splendor of His majesty ruling heaven and earth. 
His words to the apostle Thomas are applicable 
to us: Blessed are they that have not seen, and 
have believed" {John xx. 29). But whether we 
see Him or not, the conqueror of sin and death, 
the finisher of our redemption, the foundation 
of our hope, is present in the adorable sacrament 
of the Eucharist. ^'1 am with you all days even 
unto the consummation of the world ' ' (Matt, xxviii, 
20). Jesus is on our altars as he came triumph- 
ant from the grave, refulgent with glory, sur- 
rounded by choirs of heavenly angels. He con- 
ceals His glory under the accidents of bread and 
wine. A lively faith discerns Him there. With 
hope we cling to Him. With docile hearts we 
listen to His words. '^Work diligently at thy 
own glorification. I am thy strength, thy joy, 
thy sweetness, thy pledge, thy glorious resur- 
rection. ' ' 

Ah, my soul, behold thy Lord, behold thy model. 
He is no longer on the tree of life; He is life it- 
self. He is risen from the grave. He has tri- 
umphed over sin and death. He has taken pos- 
session of His kingdom. He is King of kings, 
and Lord of lords! He rules heaven and earth. 
He loves thee. He has exhausted His infinite 
wisdom and omnipotence to manifest His love for 
thee. For thy sake He is present on the altar. 
He conceals His majesty so as not to overwhelm 
thee. He manifests His love to win thy love. 
He exhorts thee to patience, to perseverance on 
thy way to Calvary, to conformity to the will of 
the heavenly Father while thou art on thy cross. 
Art thou weak? He is strong. ''Come to Me,'' 



OUR GLORIOUS SAVIOUR 



415 



He says, ''all ye that labor and are heavily bur- 
dened and I will refresh you." He encourages 
thee to fidelity and perseverance. ''My burden 
is sweet and my yoke is lighf "Be thou faith- 
ful until death and I will give thee the crown of 
life.'' "I will be thy reward exceeding great." 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 my Jesus, my Lord and my God, I adore 
Thee present in the Blessed Sacrament. I thank 
Thee with all my heart for all the favors Thou 
hast bestowed upon me, but especially for Thy 
real presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Here 
Thou abidest for my sake, to win my love. I 
desire to love Thee with all my heart, with all 
the powers of my soul. My whole life shall 
henceforth be an act of love, an act of gratitude 
to my loving Saviour in the sacrament of His 
love. If Thou, my Jesus, hast done so much for 
me, I certainly ought to give myself entirely to 
Thee, to live entirely in conformity to Thy holy 
will. Would that I could love and serve Thee 
with the hearts of all holy souls, with the affec- 
tion of all the angels and saints of heaven. 

Point II 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

Consider, my soul, what thy glorious Saviour 
is doing in the Blessed Sacrament. He is pres- 
ent in the tabernacle for thy sake. He is pre- 
paring thee for a glorious resurrection. He is 
adorning thee with heavenly beauty, preparing 
for thee a crown of glory, making thee worthy to 
reign with Him in heaven. 

1. From the tabernacle He blesses thy daily 
work, thy prayers, thy sacrifices, and makes them 



416 



A DAY OF UNION 



fruitful for heaven. He is the vine and thou art 
the branches. Here He desires to become incar- 
nate in thee, thus to transform thee into a true 
child of God. Thy daily actions are defective in 
themselves in many ways. But Jesus adds His 
perfection to them when thou laborest in union 
with Him. Thus He prays with thee, He medi- 
tates with thee. He works with thee, He suffers 
with thee and makes sacrifices with thee and 
covers thy imperfections by His abundance. 

2. He confers upon thee, especially in holy 
communion, the special grace to do great things 
for God and to progress rapidly in the path of 
virtue. 

3. He imparts to thee a heavenly sweetness, 
and gives Himself to thee as a pledge of thy own 
future resurrection. 

Take courage, my soul. Do not be anxious 
about the imperfection of thy past actions or 
about thy future glory. The Holy Spirit, who 
has made thee a member of Christ's mystical 
body, and who resides in thee, has provided for 
all. He is the soul of the mystical body of 
Christ, the Church. He has united thee inti- 
mately with thy divine Saviour. If then, thou 
hast an earnest good-will to please God in all 
things, to do His holy will at all times, then Jesus 
in the Blessed Sacrament, the vine of which thou 
art a branch, supplies thy deficiency by communi- 
cating to thee of His perfection. He possesses a 
home in heaven and has already prepared a man- 
sion there for thee. Though concealed under the 
appearances of bread and wine, He is always 
near. In the tabernacle He unites a life of di- 
vine contemplation to a life of all-embracing 
charity. He is active there for thy sake as well 
as for all others who are united to Him by saucti- 



OUR GLORIOUS SAVIOUR 



417 



fying grace, as the branch is united to the living 
vine. If thou art resolved to avoid every de- 
liberate sin, to belong entirely to Him, to follow 
the voice of the Holy Spirit in all things, then 
He unites His prayers to thine, His meditations 
to thy meditations and religious exercises, His 
labors to thy labors. He unites to thy sufferings 
and sacrifices His mysterious sufferings in the 
sacrament of His love, which He must daily en- 
dure and one time felt most keenly. 

Here the Good Samaritan resides day and 
night to heal the wounds of thy soul, to pour oil 
and wine upon them whenever thou approachest 
Him with a suppliant heart. Here He resides 
ever ready to give thee strength to do great 
things for God's honor and glory, that thou may- 
est work and labor and suffer even with joy. 

^^What shall I render to the Lord for all that 
He hath done for me ? " Indeed, 0 God, thou art 
good to them that love Thee. What greater man- 
ifestation can I have of Thy love for me than the 
Holy Eucharist. Here, my loving Saviour, Thou 
lovest to dispense to me Thy graces, to apply to 
my soul the fruits of the redemption. Thy only 
thought, Thy only desire is to be more and more 
intimately united to me, to prepare me more and 
more for a glorious resurrection. I prostrate 
myself in humble adoration before Thee. I thank 
Thee for all that Thou hast done for me, but 
especially do I feel grateful to Thee for having 
given me this proof of Thy love. I wish to show 
my gratitude especially by resigning myself en- 
tirely into Thy hands. If Thou hast instituted 
this sacrament for my sake, to unite Thyself to 
me, I will co-operate in Thy loving designs. I 
desire to live and die wholly united to Thee. I 
give Thee my heart with all its affections. I give 



418 



A DAY OF UNION 



Thee my mind and will with all their powers. I 
desire to act only in union with Thee, to co-oper- 
ate in all things with that grace which the Holy 
Spirit transmits to me from Thee, to live only in 
Thee, as the branch lives on the vine. 

Resolution 

I will make the blessed Sacrament of the Altar 
the main object of my devotions. I will recom- 
mend all my affairs to my sacramental Lord, and 
prepare myself well to receive Him with a loving 
heart in holy communion. 0 Jesus, do Thou in- 
flame me with Thy holy love, so that from this 
forth I may live only to love and to please Thee. 
Thou deservest the love of all hearts. If at one 
time I have done Thee dishonor I now desire 
nothing but to love Thee. 0 my Jesus, Thou art 
my love and my only good, my God, and my all. 
Most holy Virgin Mary, obtain for me, I pray 
thee, a great love for the Most Holy Sacrament. 



OPTIONAL REFLECTIONS 

IT. ^Tbe %ovim Heart of Jesus 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

Oh, if we could but understand the love that 
burns in the heart of Jesus for us ! He has loved 
us so much, that if all men, all the angels, and all 
the saints were to unite, with all their energies, 
they could not arrive at the thousandth part of 
the love that Jesus bears to us. He loves us in- 
finitely more than we love ourselves. 

He has loved us even to excess: ^^They spoke 
of His decease (excess) which He was to ac- 
complish in Jerusalem." And what greater ex- 



OUR GLORIOUS SAVIOUR 419 



cess of love could there be than for God to die 
for His creatures? He has loved us to the great- 
est degree: ^'Having loved His own . . . He 
loved them unto the end''; since, after having 
loved us from eternity, for there never was a 
moment from eternity when God did not think of 
us and did not love each of us — '^I have loved thee 
with an everlasting love''— for the love of us 
He made Himself man, and chose a life of suf- 
ferings and the death of the cross for our sake. 
Therefore He has loved us more than His honor, 
more than His repose, and more than His life; 
for He has sacrificed everything to show us the 
love that He bears us. And is not this an ex- 
cess of love sufficient to amaze the angels of para- 
dise for all eternity? 

This love has induced Him also to remain with 
us in the Most Holy Sacrament as on a throne of 
love; for He is there under the appearance of a 
small piece of bread, shut up in a ciborium, where 
He seems to remain in a perfect annihilation of 
His majesty, without movement, and without the 
use of His senses; so that it seems that He per- 
forms no other office than that of loving men. 
Love makes us desire the constant presence of 
the object of our love. It is this love and this de- 
sire that makes Jesus Christ reside with us in the 
Most Holy Sacrament. It seems too short a time 
to this loving Saviour to have been only thirty- 
three years with men on earth ; therefore, in order 
to show His desire of being constantly with us, 
He deigned to perform the greatest of all mira- 
cles, in the institution of the Holy Eucharist. 
But the work of the redemption was already com- 
pleted, man had already become reconciled to 
God; for what purpose, then, did Jesus remain 
on earth in this sacrament? He remains there 



420 



A DAY OF UNION 



because He can not bear to separate Himself 
from us. His delight is to be with the children 
of men. 

Again, this love has induced Him even to be- 
come the food of our souls, so as to unite Him- 
self to us and to make His heart and ours as 
one : ^ ^ He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My 
blood, abideth in Me and I in him." 0 wonder! 
0 excess of divine love ! It was said by a servant 
of God, ''If anything could shake my faith in the 
Eucharist, it would not be the doubt as to how the 
bread could become flesh, or how Jesus could be 
in several places and confined into so small a 
space, because I would answer that God can do 
anything; but if I were asked how He could love 
men so much as to make Himself their food, I 
have nothing else to answer but that this is a 
mystery of faith above my comprehension, and 
that the love of Jesus can not be understood.'^ 
0 love of Jesus, do Thou make Thyself known by 
men, do Thou make Thyself loved ! 

0 adorable heart of Jesus, heart inflamed with 
the love of men, heart created on purpose to love 
them, how is it possible that Thou canst be de- 
spised, and Thy love so ill reciprocated by men? 
Oh, miserable that I am, I also have been one of 
those ungrateful ones that have not loved Thee. 
Forgive me, my Jesus, this great sin of not having 
loved Thee, who art so lovable, and who hast 
loved me so much that Thou canst do nothing 
more to oblige me to love Thee. I feel that I de- 
serve to be condemned that I am not able to love 
Thee, for having renounced Thy love as I have 
hitherto done. But no, my dearest Saviour, give 
me any chastisement, but do not inflict this one 
on me. Grant me the grace to love Thee, and 
then give me any affliction Thou pleasest. But how 



OUR GLORIOUS SAVIOUR 421 



can I fear sucli a chastisement, while I feel that 
Thou continnest to give me the sweet, the pleas- 
ing precept of loving Thee, my Lord and my God? 
''Love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart.'' 
Yes, 0 my God, Thou wouldst be loved by me, 
and I will love Thee; indeed I will love none but 
Thee, who hast loved me so much. 0 love of my 
Jesus, thou art my love. 0 burning heart of my 
Jesus, do thou inflame my heart also. Do not 
permit me in future, 0 Jesus, even for a single 
moment, to live without Thy love. Rather kill 
me, destroy me; do not let the world behold the 
spectacle of such horrid ingratitude as that I, 
who have been so beloved by Thee, and received 
so many favors and lights from Thee, should 
begin again to despise Thy love. No, my Jesus, 
do not permit this. I trust in the blood which 
Thou hast shed for me, that I shall always love 
Thee, and that Thou wilt always love me and 
that this love between Thee and me wilt not be 
broken off for eternity. 

0 Mary, mother of fair love, thou who desirest 
so much to see Jesus loved, bind me, unite me to 
thy Son; but bind me to Him; so that we may 
never be separated again. 



irir» Btfectfong of %ovc ^owarD tbe SacreD Ibeart 

(From St, Alphonsus) 

0 amiable Heart of my Saviour ! Thou art the 
seat of all virtues, the source of all graces, the 
burning furnace in which are inflamed all holy 
souls. Thou art the object of all God's love; thou 
art the refuge of the afflicted, and the abode of 
souls that love Thee. 0 Heart, worthy of reign- 



422 



A DAY OF UNION 



ing over all hearts, and of possessing the affec- 
tion of all hearts! 0 Heart that was wounded 
for me on the cross by the lance of my sins, and 
that remainest afterward continually wounded 
for me on the altar in the Blessed Sacrament, but 
not by any other lance than that of the love which 
thou entertainest for me! 0 loving Heart, that 
loves men with so much tenderness, and that is so 
little loved by men! do Thou apply a remedy to 
so great an ingratitude ; inflame Thou our hearts 
with a true love for Thee. Ah, why can I not go 
all the world over to make known the graces, the 
sweetness, the treasures which Thou dispensest to 
those who truly love Thee? Accept the desire 
that I have of seeing all hearts burning with love 
for Thee. 0 divine Heart! be thou my consola- 
tion in trials, my repose in labors, my solace in 
anxieties, my haven in tempests. I consecrate to 
thee my body and my soul, my heart and my life, 
together with all that I am; I unite to Thine all 
my thoughts, all my affections, all my desires. 
0 eternal Father! I offer Thee the purest affec- 
tions of the heart of Jesus. If Thou dost reject 
mine. Thou canst not reject those of Thy Son, who 
is sanctity itself ; may they supply what is wanting 
in me, and may they render me pleasing in Thy 
eyes. 

PAETICULAR EXAMINATION 
Qn tbe %ovc of tbe Ibol^ Spirit 

Do I realize: 

That the Holy Spirit is love? 

That He loves me with an infinite and an 

eternal love? 
That He is worthy of all love? 
That He desires my love? 



BEHOLD THY MOTHER 



423 



That He commands me to love Him! 
That I owe Him an infinite debt of love? 
That my happiness consists in loving Him I 
Have I remained in His love I 
Have I acted solely for the love of God? 
Say an act of sorrow for defects, one of grati- 
tude for favors, and resolve to love God with your 
whole heart and soul. 



THIED MEDITATION 

3Bebol5 Zb^ flDotber— /iDary ®ur fIDotbet 

Point I 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

St. John records the dying request of our divine 
Saviour in these simple words. ^^"When Jesus 
therefore had seen His mother and the disciple 
standing, whom He loved, He saith to his mother, 
Woman, behold thy son. After that. He saith to 
the disciple. Behold thy mother. And from that 
hour the disciple took her to his own" (John xix. 
26, 27). In the person of St. John, the Saviour 
confided all His beloved disciples in ages to come 
to the loving care of His own mother. He be- 
sought her to watch over them with the same 
solicitude which she manifested toward Him in 
His childhood days. When meditating on this 
solemn but consoling scene, we may at first im- 
agine that with His dying breath Jesus left us to 
Mary's care and begged her to adopt us as her 
children. This thought is indeed encouraging. 
But a great mystery is emphasized here. Mary 



424 



A DAY OF UNION 



is not only our mother by adoption; slie is the 
real mother of our spiritual life. That life to 
which we were born again of water and the Holy 
Ghost in Baptism, Mary gave to us. When ^'she 
brought forth her first-born" (Luke ii. 7), Mary 
suffered no pain. But when she gave us spiritual 
life, she became the queen of martyrs. Mary had 
a mother's right over her first-born. She loved 
Him more than ever a human mother loved her 
child. He was not only her obedient Son, but her 
Lord, her God, her all. She knew that if Jesus 
lived, we should die, die eternally. She there- 
fore sacrificed her Son and gave us life. To 
nourish this divine life in our souls is the dying 
request of her first-born Son, our elder Brother. 

My soul, ''behold thy mother." Behold the 
sacrifice Mary made while she ' ' stood by the cross 
of Jesus" {John xix. 25.) ! With the prophet she 
can exclaim: ''0 all ye that pass by the way, 
attend, and see if there be any sorrow like to my 
sorrow" (Lam. i. 12). But, to give thee life, to 
open to thee the way to heaven, Mary made this 
sacrifice generously. Indeed, as Abraham was 
willing to sacrifice his only son for love of God, 
so the Fathers of the Church sa}^ Mary was will- 
ing to sacrifice her dearest Jesus with her own 
hands, if need be, to give thee life. Eejoice, 
therefore, that thou hadst so good a mother. Re- 
joice that thou now hast life and hope and salva- 
tion. Thank God for His mercies. But ''forget 
not the sorrows of thy mother" (Ecclus. vii. 29). 
Forget not the sacrifice that Mary made for thee 
when she brought thee forth to the spiritual life. 
Behold thy mother ! ' ' Honor thy father and thy 
mother, that thou mayest be long-lived upon the 
land which the Lord thy God will give thee" {Ex. 
XX. 12). Esteem Mary as "our tainted nature's 



BEHOLD THY MOTHER 425 



solitary boast." Esteem her as the greatest hero- 
ine of the world. Esteem her as the one who 
next to God wrought your salvation. She co- 
operated in your redemption by giving Jesus that 
body in which He suffered and died. But per- 
sonally she has earned your love by giving up her 
maternal right, by sacrificing her dearest Jesus 
for thy sake. Love her, then, with the love of a 
child worthy of such love. Love her by medita- 
ting on her generosity and fervor in the service of 
God and her neighbor. Love her especially by 
taking her for thy mother, as St. John did. Love 
her, above all, by imitating her example. Hast 
thou always been a worthy child of so good a 
mother 1 

AFFECTIONS AND PKAYEES 

How can I thank thee, 0 Mary, my mother, for 
all thou hast done for me ! When I was an enemy 
of God, thou wert mindful of me. Though Thou 
didst love Jesus more than all else, thou didst not 
hesitate to sacrifice Him for my sake. While the 
sword of sorrow pierced thy heart, thou didst 
give me life. Before I could show any appreci- 
ation, thou didst show thy exceeding great love 
for me. 0 Mary, I am not worthy to be called 
thy child. I am so vile, so selfish. Thou art so 
noble and so generous. Even after my dying- 
Saviour said, ^'Behold thy mother," I have fre- 
quently increased the sorrows of thy heart. I 
grieve over the pain that I have caused thee. I 
love thee, at last; I desire to love thee. I desire 
to be thy most grateful child. Wilt thou pardon 
me? Ah, thou art so good, thou didst love me 
when I was an enemy of God. I trust that thou 
dost love me, now that I have been born to the 
spiritual life, and desire to love thee. Ah, Mary, 



426 



A DAY OF UNION 



Behold thy Son!" Behold thy child. I conse- 
crate myself entirely to thee. I am thine. I de- 
sire to live only to show myself thy most loving 
though unworthy child. 

Point II 

CONSIDERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

'^Behold thy mother." These words of the dy- 
ing Saviour emphasize another truth. It is this: 
As the world received Jesus Christ through Mary, 
so is it God's will that men should become His 
children through Mary. The saints tell us that 
^'all true children of God have God for their fa- 
ther and Mary for their mother." ^^He who has 
Mary for his mother has God for his father," 
says the blessed Louis de Montfort. Jesus Christ 
has bought us at a great price. We belong to 
Him. We can not approach God except through 
Him. He is our mediator with the Father. He 
is the ultimate end of all human devotion. But 
Mary is our intercessor with Jesus, even as ^'He 
is ever making intercession" for us with the Fa- 
ther. She is all powerful by her intercession. 
Through Mary perseverance is therefore easy; 
without her it is very difficult; yes, to those who 
despise her aid it is morally impossible. 

As a reward for her co-operation in the work 
of our redemption, Mary was crowned by God 
the Father as the queen of heaven and earth, by 
God the Son as the treasure of His infinite merits, 
by God the Holy Ghost as the dispenser of grace 
and mercy to mankind. If Mary sacrificed her 
divine Son to give us spiritual life when she was 
only the humble ''handmaid of the Lord," what 
will she do to aid us in the spiritual life, now that 



BEHOLD THY MOTHER 



427 



she is queen of heaven and dispenser of grace and 
mercy, and we her children ! She sits at the right 
hand of the Son and makes intercession for us. 
She is still the mother of Jesus, and has a 
mother's right. Jesus honors her as His mother. 
To all her petitions, He answers: ^'My mother, 
ask; for I must not turn away thy face'' (3 Kings 
ii. 20). Hence St. Bernard could truly say: ^'It 
has never been heard of in any age, that any one 
had recourse to Mary and was not helped and 
heard by her." This is also the reason why devo- 
tion to Mary is universally considered as a sign 
of predestination. 

Rejoice, my soul, that thou art a child of Mary ! 
Indeed, Jesus, has in more than one sense fulfilled 
His promise '^not to leave us orphans" {John xiv. 
18). With His dying breath He recommended 
thee to Mary's care, and besought her to provide 
for thee. If Mary loved thee even when thou wert 
her enemy, how solicitous must she be for thee, 
now that thou art consecrated to her^ If she did 
so much to give thee life, what will she not do to 
bring thee to the perfection of the spiritual life? 
^'Can a mother forget her own child?" Mary 
will certainly not forget thee. She will always 
show herself a mother to thee. Dost thou, how- 
ever, always show thyself her child? Hast thou 
that interior, tender, holy, constant, and disinter- 
ested devotion to her which flows from a true 
esteem of her greatness and a love for her good- 
ness? Dost thou confide in her with the affection 
of a child? Does thy devotion to her lead thee to 
avoid all deliberate imperfections and imitate her 
virtues? Call on Mary in all thy trials; no one 
has ever had recourse to her in vain. She can 
remove all natural changeableness, irritability, 



428 



A DAY OF UNION 



scrupulosity, and timidity from thy mind. She 
can enable thee to serve God with a generous, 
fervent love. 

AFFECTION'S AND PEAYEES 

0 Mary, my mother, I love thee, I love thee, I 
love thee ! I place myself entirely in thy care. I 
behold in thee my mother. I thank thee for thy 
great love for me. I know I am unworthy of thy 
love. Thou art so near to God; I am a poor sin- 
ner, entirely unworthy of thee. But thou desirest 
to help me. Thou canst make me a true child of 
God. I place all my confidence in thee. I repent 
of my past negligence and indifference. I desire 
to love and serve thee. Through thee I desire to 
love and serve God with my whole heart and soul. 
It is God's will that I should serve Him through 
thee. Bring me, then, to Jesus as thou didst give 
Jesus to me. 0 holy Spirit, I thank Thee for 
having given me so good a mother. 0 Jesus, I 
will never forget that Thou hast recommended me 
to Thy mother with Thy dying breath. Thou 
hast deigned to call Thyself my brother. Through 
Mary I hope to become worthy of Thee. 

Resolution 

1 resolve to be a true child of Mary by conse- 
crating myself entirely to her, by invoking her in 
all my needs and by imitating her virtues. Mary, 
my hope, thou must save me. 

Bet of Consecration 

(By Blessed Louis de Montfort) 

0 eternal and incarnate Wisdom! 0 sweetest 
and most adorable Jesus! True God and true 



BEHOLD THY MOTHER 



429 



man, only Son of the eternal Father, and of Mary 
ever virgin! I adore Thee profoundly in the 
bosom and splendors of Thy Father during eter- 
nity; and I adore Thee also in the virginal bosom 
of Mary, Thy most worthy mother, in the time 
of Thine incarnation. 

I give Thee thanks that Thou hast annihilated 
Thyself, in taking the form of a slave in order to 
rescue me from the cruel slavery of the devil. I 
praise and glorify Thee that Thou hast been 
pleased to submit Thyself to Mary, Thy holy 
Mother, in all things, in order to make me Thy 
faithful slave through her. But, alas ! ungrateful 
and faithless as I have been, I have not kept the 
promises which I made so solemnly to Thee in my 
Baptism. I have not fulfilled my obligations; I 
do not deserve to be called Thy child, nor yet Thy 
slave; and as there is nothing in me which does 
not merit Thine anger and Thy repulse, I dare 
no more come by myself before Thy most holy 
and august majesty. It is on this account that 
I have recourse to the intercession of Thy most 
holy Mother, whom Thou hast given me as a 
mediator with Thee. It is by her means that I 
hope to obtain contrition and pardon for my sins, 
and the acquisition and preservation of wisdom. 
I salute thee, then, 0 immaculate Mary, living 
tabernacle of the divinity, where eternal Wis- 
dom willed to be hidden, and to be adored by 
angels and by men. I hail thee, 0 queen of 
heaven and earth, to whose empire everything is 
subject which is under God. .1 salute thee, 0 
sure refuge of sinners, whose mercy fails to no 
one. Hear my desires and receive the aspirations 
and offerings which I, in my lowness, present to 
thee. I am a faithless sinner. I renew and 



430 



A DAY OF UNION 



ratify to-day in thy hands the vows of my Bap- 
tism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps, and 
works ; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, 
the incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after 
Him all the days of my life, and to be more faith- 
ful to Him than I have ever been before. 

In the presence of all the heavenly court I 
choose thee this day for my mother. I deliver 
and consecrate to thee, as thy slave, my body and 
soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and 
even the value of all my good actions, past, pres- 
ent, and future; leaving to thee the entire and 
full right of disposing of me, and all that belongs 
to me, without exception, according to thy good 
pleasure, to the greatest glory of God, in time and 
in eternity. 

Eeceive, 0 benignant Virgin, this little offering 
of my homage, in honor of, and in union with, 
that subjection which eternal Wisdom deigned 
to have to thy maternity, in acknowledgment of 
the power which both of you have over this little 
worm and miserable sinner, and in thanksgiving 
for the privileges with which the Holy Trinity 
hath favored thee. I protest that I wish hence- 
forth, as thy true devoted servant, to seek thy 
honor and to obey thee in all things. 

0 admirable Mother, present me to thy dear 
Son as His eternal slave, so that as He hath re- 
deemed me by thee, by thee He may receive me. 
0 Mother of mercy, obtain for me the grace of the 
true wisdom of God ; and for that end put me in 
the number of those whom thou loves t, whom thou 
teachest, whom thou guidest, and whom thou 
nourishest and protectest, as thy children. 

0 faithful Virgin, make me in all things so per- 
fect a disciple, imitator, and slave of the incarnate 
Wisdom, Jesus Christ thy Son, that I may attain, 



BEHOLD THY MOTHER 



431 



by thy intercession, and by thy example, to the 
fulness of His age on earth, and to a share of His 
glory in heaven. Amen. 



OPTIONAL REFLECTIONS 

IF. Hcclamatfons in pxMsc of /libarg 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

0 most holy Virgin Mary! 0 queen of angels! 
How complete and perfect heaven has created 
thee ! Oh, that I might appear in the eyes of God, 
as thou dost appear to me ! Thou art so beautiful 
and lovely that with thy beauty thou dost ravish 
hearts. When thou dost appear, all else appears 
deformed, every beauty is eclipsed, every grace 
disappears, precisely as the stars disappear at the 
rising of the sun. 

Thy great servant, St. John Damascene, con- 
templated thee ; and when he saw thee so lovely it 
appeared to him thou hadst taken, as it were, the 
flower and the best of every creature, and there- 
fore he called thee, ^'the comeliness of nature"; 
the grace and comeliness of all creatures. St. 
Augustine, the brightest light of the Doctors, 
gazed on thee, and thou didst appear to him so 
beautiful and lovely that he called thee the form 
and countenance of God, and it did not seem 
adulation to him to say, ^'Thou art worthy of be- 
ing called the form of God." ^^Si formam Dei 
te appellem digna existis." Thy devout servant, 
Albert the Great, contemplated thee, and it seemed 
to him that all the graces and gifts that were 
found in the most celebrated women of the ancient 
dispensation were all surpassed in thee. The 
golden mouth of Sara, when with thy smile thou 



432 



A DAY OF UNION 



makest heaven and earth joyful; the tender and 
sweet glance of the faithful Lia, with which thou 
dost soften the heart of God, inexorable to sin- 
ners; the splendor of the countenance of the 
beautiful Eachel, as thou dost obscure the sun by 
thy radiant beauty; the grace and the comeliness 
of the discreet Abigail, with which thou dost ap- 
pease the wrath of an angry God; the fire and 
strength of the brave Judith, when thou dost pow- 
erfully and graciously subdue the proudest hearts. 

In a word, sovereign princess, from the vast 
ocean of thy beauty flowed forth, like streams, 
the beauty and graces of all creatures. The sea 
ripples its waves in imitation of the golden locks 
of thy head,* which, curling gracefully, floated 
upon thy shoulders and ivory neck. The clear 
depths of the crystal fountains took their quiet 
and steady flow from the serenity of thy beautiful 
brow and thy placid countenance. The graceful 
rainbow, when it is most beautiful, has carefully 
copied from thy eyebrow to arch itself gracefully, 
that it may better dart forth its rays of light. 
The calm Dian and the gentle Hesperus are re- 
flections from thy radiant eyes. The white lily 
and the ruddy rose have stolen their colors from 
thy cheeks. The envious purple and coral 
sigh for the ruby of thy lips. The purest milk 
and sweetest honey are distillations from the 
sweet honeycomb of thy mouth. The odorous 
jasmine and the fragrant rose of Damascus have 
stolen their perfumes from thy breath. The lofti- 
est cedar and the finest and most erect cypress 
esteem themselves happy when they see that they 
are the image of thy straight and lofty neck, and 
the palm-tree enviously, and in emulation, unitates 
thy stately stature. And thus, 0 Lady, every 
created beauty is the shadow and copy of thyself. 



BEHOLD THY MOTHER 



433 



Therefore I do not wonder, 0 sovereign princess, 
that heaven and earth are placed under thee, for 
planets and continents are so small and thou so 
great that when thy feet but rest upon them they 
are enriched, and deem themselves happy and 
blessed if thou but touch them, as the moon 
when St. John the Evangelist saw her at thy feet. 
The splendor of the sun was increased when thou 
didst clothe thyself with his rays. The Evange- 
list, blinded by the greatness of thy light, was 
lost in wonder, and beside himself at the sight of 
so stupendous a miracle of loveliness, in which 
the beauty of heaven and earth was contained, 
he said, ^^And there appeared a great sign in 
heaven" — -Signum magnum apparuit in codo — a 
great wonder in heaven — -that amazed the angels 
and terrified the earth. And that miracle was a 
woman clothed from head to foot with light and 
splendor, whom the effulgent sun chose for his 
mother, placing himself in her womb; to whom 
the fair moon serves as a robe encircled with sil- 
ver, and the innumerable emulous constellations 
garland her temples, encircle her locks, and adorn 
her head with wreaths of precious gems; and on 
her head is placed a crown of twelve stars: ^^Et 
in capite ejus corona duodecim stellarum/^ 

And thus the saints, 0 most sacred Virgin, mar- 
veling at such great splendor, which surpasses the 
brightness of the sun, and the graceful loveliness 
of the moon, though these be the perfect flower 
and ideal of all beauty, never cease to admire 
thy loveliness, and considering the hosannas that 
burst forth from the heavens, can do nothing but 
exclaim and extol thee in like manner, with ac- 
clamations of wonder and amazement. St. Peter 
Damian, paying to thee his homage, says: ^'0 
holy, and most holy of all saints, and the richest 



434 



A DAY OF UNION 



treasure of all sanctity!'' And St. Bernard: 
^^0 admirable Virgin! 0 woman, the glory of all 
other women! The best and greatest that the 
world has ever possessed!" St. Epiphanius: 
^'0 heaven more vast and extended than the em- 
pyrean! A^irgin, trnly full of grace!" And the 
Catholic Church, in the name of all, sings: ^'0 
most clement, most merciful, most sweet Virgin 
Mary!" 

And I also, 0 heavenly princess, with thy leave, 
although I am the least of thy servants, I also 
wish to make my acclamations of wonder and 
amazement. 0 gracious and beautiful heaven, 
more vast than the empyrean, since in the latter 
the immensity of God is not contained, but in thy 
womb He was concealed! 0 richest treasure, in 
which was deposited the priceless jewel of our 
redemption! 0 mother of sinners, beneath thy 
mantle we are protected ! 0 consolation of the 
world, in whom all the afilicted, infirm, and dis- 
consolate find comfort! 0 beautiful eyes that 
ravish hearts ! 0 coral lips that take souls cap- 
tive! 0 beneficent hands, filled with hyacinths, 
that are always dispensing graces! 0 pure 
creature, who dost appear as like God, and whom 
I should have esteemed as such, if faith had not 
taught me that thou art not God, although thou 
hast the splendor — and I know not what — of su- 
preme Deity ! 0 great Lady, empress of heaven, 
enjoy for a thousand eternities the grandeur of 
thy state, the immensity of thy graces, and the 
felicity of thy glory! Only I supplicate thee, 0 
compassionate mother, that thou wilt not forget 
us, who beg to be thy servants and children. And 
because thou art the depository of all graces, and 
the best and most privileged of all created things, 
obtain for us, thy servants, 0 Lady, that we may 



BEHOLD THY MOTHER 



435 



be favored far more than any others in the world. 
And may all the world know that the dear children 
of Mary are the elect of heaven and earth, the 
beloved children who are tenderly cared for and 
enjoy the best that snch a mother has to give ; the 
well-beloved, who are caressed by the qneen of 
heaven, and are doubly favored and doubly ca- 
ressed by thy majesty. Thus I hope, 0 most 
beautiful Rachel ! and thus I trust thou wilt do, 0 
sovereign princess! In the name of what thou 
art, do it; for all heaven, prostrate at thy feet, 
is supplicating and praying thee for this. Con- 
sent, utter but one loving word, ^^Fiat — Be 
it done." Oh, man, what art thou doing? 
How dost thou love the creatures of earth 
— ^deceitful and lying creatures, who betray 
and make thee lose thy soul, thy body, para- 
dise, and God? And why not love Mary, the most 
loving, the most lovable, and the most faithful, 
who, after enriching thee with consolations and 
graces in this life, will obtain for thee, from her 
divine Son, the eternal glory of paradise? 0 
Mary, Mary, beautiful above all creatures ! lovely, 
next to Jesus, above all loves! dearer than all 
created things! more graceful than all graces! 
have pity on my miserable heart. Miserable, be- 
cause it ought to love thee and does not love thee. 
Thou canst kindle it with thy holy love. Turn, 0 
Mary, thy loving eyes upon me, look on me, draw 
me to thyself, and obtain that, next to God, I may 
love none but thee, 0 most gracious, most amiable 
Mary, mother of Jesus, and my mother. 



436 



A DAY OF UNION 



•ffir. B 2)art of afire— ftivftatfon of ^csm 

{From St, Alphonsus) 

^^Come to Me, all you that labor, and are bur- 
dened, and I ivill refresh you'' {Matt. xi. 28). 

Let us listen to Jesus Christ, who from the cross 
on which He is nailed, and from the altar where 
He dwells under the sacramental species, calls us 
poor afflicted sinners, to console us and enrich us 
with His graces. Oh, what two great mysteries 
of hope and love to us are the passion of Jesus 
Christ and the sacrament of the Eucharist ! Mys- 
teries which, if faith did not make us certain of 
them, would be incredible. That God should 
deign to shed even the very last drop of His 
blood! *^This is My blood, which shall be shed 
for many." And why? To atone for our sins. 
But then to will to give His own body as food for 
our souls, that body which had already been sac- 
rificed on the cross for our salvation! These 
sublime mysteries must surely soften the hardest 
hearts, and reclaim the most desperate sinners. 
Finally, the Apostle says that in Jesus Christ we 
are enriched with every good, so that no grace is 
wanting to us : * ^ In all things you are made rich 
in Him ... so that nothing is wanting to 
you in any grace." It is enough that we invoke 
our God for Him to have mercy on us; and He 
will abound in grace to all who pray to Him, as 
the same Apostle assures us : ^'Eich unto all who 
call upon Him." 

If then, my Saviour, I have reason to despair 
of pardon, for the offences and treacheries that I 
have been guilty of toward Thee, I have still 
greater reason to trust in Thy goodness. My 



BEHOLD THY MOTHER 



437 



Father, I have forsaken Thee, like an ungrateful 
son ; but now I have returned to Thy feet, full of 
sorrow and covered with confusion for the many 
mercies which Thou hast shown me; and I say 
with shame, ^ ' Father, I am not worthy to be called 
Thy son." Thou hast said that there is re- 
joicing in heaven when a sinner is converted. 

There shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner 
that doth penance.'' Behold, I have left all and 
turned to Thee, my crucified Lord. I repent with 
my whole heart for having treated Thee with so 
much contempt as to turn my back upon Thee. 
Thou hast graciously received me into Thy grace ; 
inflame me now with Thy holy love, so that I may 
never leave Thee again. Thou hast said, ^'I am 
come that they may have life, and may have it 
more abundantly.'' "Wlierefore I hope to receive 
from Thee, not only Thy grace as I enjoyed it 
before I offended Thee, but a grace more abund- 
ant, which shall make me become all on fire with 
Thy love. Oh, that I could love Thee, my God, 
as Thou dost deserve to be loved! I love Thee 
above all things. I love Thee more than myself. 
I love Thee with all my heart; and I sigh after 
heaven, where I shall love Thee for all eternity. 
^'What is there to me in heaven, and besides Thee 
what have I desired on earth? 0 God, God of my 
heart and my portion forever." Ah, God of my 
heart, take and keep possession of all my heart, 
and drive from it every affection which does not 
belong to Thee. Thou art my only treasure, my 
only love. I wish for Thee alone, and nothing 
more. 0 Mary, my hope, by thy prayers draw 
me all to God. 



A DAY OF UNION 



OPTIONAL READINGS 

f . /IBars, ^BoDcl of ^fraternal Cbadts 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

Love of God and our neighbor is commanded by 
the same precept : ^ ' And this command we have 
from God, that he who loveth God, loveth his 
neighbor also." St. Thomas gives as a reason 
for this that he who loves God loves all things 
which God loves. St. Catherine of Genoa one day 
said to God : * ^ 0 Lord, it is Thy will that I love 
my neighbor, and I can love none but Thee." 
God answered her in these words: *^He who 
loves Me, loves all things I love." Bnt as there 
never has been and never will be one who loves 
God more than Mary ; so there never has been and 
never will be one who loves his neighbor more 
than Mary. Cornelins a Lapide, remarking on 
these words: *'King Solomon hath made him a 
litter of the wood of Libanus, the midst he covered 
with charity for the daughters of Jerusalem," 
says, that this litter was Mary, in which the in- 
carnate Word dwelt, filling the Mother with 
charity, that she might succor all who had re- 
course to her. Mary was so full of charity when 
she was on earth, that she assisted unasked those 
who were in need, just as she did at the marriage 
of Cana, when she told her Son of the trouble of 
the family — ^'They have no wine" — and begged 
Him to give them wine through a miracle. Oh, 
how she hastened to the relief of her neighbor, 
when she went to the house of Elizabeth on an 
errand of charity. ^^She went into the hill 
country with haste." She could in no way show 
greater charity than by offering her Son for our 
salvation; so that St. Bonaventure says, ''Mary 



BEHOLD THY MOTHER 



439 



SO loved the world as to give her only-begotten 
Son." Therefore St. Anselm addresses her in 
these words: ^^Oh, blessed among women, who 
dost excel the angels in purity, and the saints in 
pity." Nor does the charity of Mary for us fail, 
now that she is in heaven ; but it is much increased 
there, because now she sees more clearly the 
miseries of men. And the angel said to St. 
Bridget, that there is no one who prays who does 
not receive graces through the charity of the 
Blessed Virgin. Miserable should we be were 
Mary not to pray for us. Jesus Christ Himself 
also said to the same saint: **If the prayers of 
My Mother did not interpose, there would be no 
hope of mercy." 

Blessed is he, says the blessed Mother, who 
hears my teachings and considers my charity, in 
order to practise this charity toward others in 
imitation of me. Blessed is the man that hear- 
eth me, and that watcheth daily at my gates, and 
waiteth at the posts of my doors." St. Gregory 
Nazianzen says that there is nothing by which we 
may more easily gain the love of Mary, than by 
the practice of charity toward our neighbor. It is 
certain that God and Mary will show mercy to us, 
according to the charity we practise toward our 
neighbor. ^'Give, and it shall be given to you." 
^'For with the same measure that you shall mete 
withal, it shall be measured to you again." St. 
Methodius said, ^'Give to the poor and receive 
paradise;" for, according to the Apostle, charity 
toward our neighbor renders us happy in this life 
and in the next. ^^But piety is profitable to all 
things, having promise of the life that is now, and 
of that which is to come." St. John Chrysostom, 
remarking on the words of Proverbs, *^He that 
hath mercy on the poor, lendeth to the Lord," 



440 



A DAY OF UNION 



says that he who assists the needy makes God his 
debtor. 0 Mother of mercy, thou art full of 
charity for all. Do not forget my miseries. 
Thou dost even now see them. Eecommend me 
to that God who denies thee nothing. Obtain for 
me the grace of being able to imitate thee in holy 
charity toward God and toward my neighbor. 
Amen. 



•fflT. a^cme of Bcqufrfng tbe %ovc of ^cem Cbrtet 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

Jesus Christ ought to be our whole love. He 
is worthy of it, both because He is a God of in- 
finite goodness, and because He has loved us to 
such an excess that He died for us. Oh, how 
great are our obligations to Jesus Christ! All 
the good we enjoy, all our inspirations, calls, par- 
dons, helps, hopes, consolations, sweetness, and 
loving affections come to us through Jesus Christ. 
Let us see by what means we are to acquire this 
love of Jesus Christ. 

In the first place, we must desire to have this 
love, and we must, therefore, often ask Him to 
give it to us, especially in our prayers, in our 
communions, and in visits to the Blessed Sacra- 
ment. And this grace must also be sought for at 
the hands of the ever-blessed Mary, from our 
guardian angel and our holy patrons, that they 
may enable us to love Jesus Christ. St. Francis 
de Sales says that the grace of loving tJesus Christ 
contains all other graces in itself ; because he who 
truly loves Him can not be wanting in any virtue. 

In the second place, if we wish to acquire this 
love we must detach our hearts from all earthly 



BEHOLD THY MOTHER 



441 



affections ; divine love will find no place in a heart 
that is full of this world. St. Philip Neri used 
to say: ^^The love we give to creatures is all 
so much taken from God." 

In the third place, we must often exercise our- 
selves, especially when we pray, in making acts 
of the love of Our Lord. Acts of love are the 
fuel with which we keep alive the fire of holy 
charity. Let us make acts of love and compla- 
cency, saying: *^My Jesus, I rejoice that Thou 
art infinitely happy, and that Thy eternal Father 
loves Thee as much as Himself!" Of benevo- 
lence: wish, my Jesus, that all could know 
and love Thee!" Of predilection: **My Jesus, 
I love Thee more than all things! I love Thee 
more than myself!" Let us also often make acts 
of contrition, which are called acts of sorrowful 
love. 

In the fourth place, if any one wishes to make 
sure of being inflamed with love toward Jesus 
Christ, let him often try to meditate on the pas- 
sion. It was revealed to a holy solitary, that no 
exercise was more efficacious in enkindling love, 
than the consideration of the sufferings and ig- 
nominy which Our Lord endured for love of us. 
I say it is impossible that a soul, meditating often 
on the passion of Christ, should be able to resist 
His love. It was for this that, although He could 
have saved us by one drop of His blood, nay, even 
by a single prayer, He chose to suffer so much, 
and to shed all His blood, that He might attract 
all hearts to love Him; therefore, he who medi- 
tates on His passion does what is very agreeable 
to Him. Do you, then, often make your medita- 
tion on the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ? 
Do so at least every Friday, the day on which He 
died for love of us. 



442 



A DAY OF UNION 



f f ff, asplrationa of %ovc to 5e6U0 Cbrfst 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

My Jesus, Thou alone art sufficient for me. 
My Love, do not permit me to separate myself 
from Thee. 

When shall I be able to say, ^^My God, I can 
not lose Thee any more?" 

Lord, who am I that Thou shouldst desire so 
much to be loved by me ? 

Whom shall I love if I love not Thee, my Jesus ? 

Here am I, Lord; dispose of me as Thou 
pleasest. 

Give me Thy love; I ask nothing more. 

Make me all Thine before I die. 

Eternal Father, for the love of Jesus Christ, 
have pity on me. 

My God, I wish for Thee alone, and nothing 
more. 

0 my Jesus ! would that I could be entirely spent 
for Thee, as Thou didst spend Thyself entirely 
for me. 

If I had died while I was in sin, I could no more 
have loved Thee ; now that I can love Thee, I will 
love Thee as much as I can. 

To Thee do I consecrate the remainder of my 
life. 

1 wish only, and I wish in all things, that which 
Thou dost desire. 

When I see Thee for the first time, my Jesus, 
may it be with a look of mercy ! 

May I die rather than ever offend Thee again ! 

Thou wilt not leave me; I will not leave Thee; 
so shall our love endure in this world and in the 
next. 

I should be too ungrateful, 0 my Jesus! if I 
loved Thee but little, after so many graces. 



BEHOLD THY MOTHER 



443 



Thou didst give Thvself all to me ; I give myself 
all to Thee. 

Thou lovest those that love Thee. I love Thee ; 
do Thou also love me. 

If I love Thee but little, give Thou me the love 
Thou requirest of me. 

What hast Thou not done to oblige me to love 
Thee? Make me overcome every defect to please 
Thee. 

Accept the love of a soul that has offended Thee 
so deeply. 

Show me the immense good Thou art, that I 
may love Thee exceedingly. 

I desire to love Thee exceedingly in this life, 
that I may love Thee exceedingly in the next. 

I hope to love Thee for all eternity, 0 eternal 
God! 

Oh, that I had always loved Thee ! Oh, that I 
had died rather than have offended Thee ! 

I give Thee my will, my liberty; dispose of me 
as Thou pleasest. 

May my only happiness be to please Thee, 0 
infinite goodness. 

0 my God! I rejoice in that Thou art infinitely 
happy. 

Thou art omnipotent ; make me a saint. 

Thou hast sought me while I was fleeing from 
Thee; Thou didst love me when I despised Thy 
love ; abandon me not, now that I seek Thee and 
love Thee. 

May I this day give myself wholly to Thee ! 
Send me any chastisement, but deprive me not 
of the power of loving Thee. 

1 thank Thee that Thou givest me time to love 
Thee. I love Thee, my Jesus, I love Thee; and 
I hope to die repeating, love Thee, I love 
Thee.'^ 



444 



A DAY OF UNION. 



I desire to love Thee without reserve, and to do 
all that I know to be pleasing to Thee. 

I love Thy good pleasure more than all the 
pleasures of the world. 

I accept all the troubles that may come to me, 
provided I love Thee, 0 my God. 0 my Jesus, 
that I could die for Thee, as Thou didst die for 
me. 

Oh, that I could make all men love Thee as Thou 
deservest ! 

0 will of God ! thou art my love. 

0 God of love! give me love. 

0 my Mother ! make me always have recourse to 
Thee. It is for thee to make me a saint. This 
is my hope. 



FOURTH MEDITATION 
Ube %ovc of 6oD 

Point I 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The love of God consists in embracing God with 
the powers of the will as the greatest possible 
good and preferring Him to all earthly things. 
He is in reality that final end to which man should 
direct all his endeavors while upon earth. St. 
Paul therefore wrote : ^ ' The end of the command- 
ment is charity from a pure heart, and a good 
conscience, and an unfeigned faith" (1 Tim. i. 5). 
'^Love, therefore, is the fulfilling of the law'' 
(Rom, xiii. 10). There are many reasons why 
man should love God. 

1. Man should love God because He is the 



THE LOVE OF GOD 



445 



most lovable being in existence. Man naturally 
loves everything that is good and beautiful. But 
God is the eternal, uncreated beauty Himself. 
Man should, therefore, love Him at all times with 
all the powers of his soul. 

2. Gratitude demands that thou love God. 
Hence St. John says: ^^Let us therefore love God, 
because God first hath loved us'' (1 Jolin iv. 19). 
^'Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting 
love," says God through His prophet Jeremias 
{Jer, xxxi. 3). 

3. But God also demands our love, commands 
us to love Him. ''Thou shalt love the Lord thy 
God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole 
soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole 
strength. This is the first commandment" {Mark 
xii. 30). God is not in need of us. He wishes us 
to love Him for our own sake, for our welfare. 
He commands it because it is in accordance with 
our nature. **This commandment is not above 
thee, nor far from thee . . . it is in thy heart 
that thou mayest do it" (Deut. xxx. 11, 14). 

4. Lastly, man should strive after divine 
charity because it alone is the greatest, the most 
perfect virtue. Charity alone will suffice until 
life eternal, but all other virtues without charity 
will profit man nothing. ''Love, therefore, is the 
fulfilling of the law." 

My soul, Thomas a Kempis says that "love is 
an excellent thing." He might also have said, "a 
necessary thing." For the good God has given 
thee a heart to love. This is in thy very nature. 
Thou must love in general whatever is good. 
Thou hast, indeed, the use of thy free will and 
canst determine thy love; thou canst center thy 
affections on this object or on that, but if thou 
lovest according to right reason, according to holy 



446 



A DAY OF UNION 



faith, then thou must love God above all things. 
He is the one true good, the uncreated beauty. 
^Vhatever else is good and beautiful is only a 
production, a faint copy of the one great Good, 
who is so good, so perfect, so beautiful in Himself 
and deserving of all love. The object of this 
whole retreat, of all these meditations, was to 
bring thee to a knowledge of this one great Good, 
and induce thee to love Him, to direct all thy 
thoughts and works and actions as acts of love to 
Him, who has loved thee first, who has loved thee 
with an everlasting love. 

But God also commands thee to love Him. He 
wishes to force thee as it were, to work for heaven. 
Thus, in the excess of His great love for thee. He 
desires that thou shouldst love Him with all thy 
strength. Besides, my soul, thou art bound to 
strive after perfection. Thou wishest to be per- 
fect in heaven. Thou shouldst, therefore, imitate 
that model which the Holy Spirit proposes to 
thee. *^God is love,'' says St. John. If thou 
wishest to be like Him thou must love — love God 
much, love God continually, love God with all thy 
strength. Love is the one thing necessary in the 
supernatural life. 

AFFECTIONS AND PEAYEES 

0 God of love, 0 love of my soul, I count those 
moments as lost in which I did not love Thee. 
Thou art truly the one real good, the great in- 
effable, uncreated beauty. How blind have I been 
not to see Thy beauty when all creation sings Thy 
praises. If Thou wilt permit a poor creature to 
love, to consecrate himself entirely to Thee, be- 
hold, I now give myself entirely to Thee. I wish 
to love Thee as the angels and saints love Thee. 
I desire to love Thee with the love which Thou 



THE LOVE OF GOD 



447 



deservest, with a love that is proportionate to 
Thy beauty, to Thy infinite perfections. 0 God 
of love, give me Thy love. Take full possession 
of me. I desire to live and die in conformity with 
Thy holy will. 0 holy Spirit, Spirit of love, in- 
flame my heart with love. Make me walk in the 
footsteps of my loving model even unto death, 
that I may follow Him beyond the grave. 

Point II 

CONSIDEEATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 

The Holy Spirit is not only love itself, He is 
also the cause of the love of God taking root in 
the human heart. The special operation of the 
Holy Spirit consists in this; that He conducts 
rational creatures to God, their final end, by 
means of love. ^'The charity of God,'' says St. 
Paul, ^4s poured forth in our hearts by the Holy 
Ghost, who is given to us" (Rom. v. 5). ^^Know 
you not that your members are the temple of the 
Holy Ghost, who is in youT' (1 Cor. vi. 19.) In 
this holy temple He kindles the sacred fire of love 
that should burn continually to the honor of the 
Most High. Our dear Saviour one day said: ^^I 
came to cast fire upon earth and what will I but 
that it be kindled" {Luke xii. 49). The divine 
Saviour furnished the material for this fire of 
love. By word and example He gave man the 
strongest motive to practise it. In His daily life 
He showed us how ; in the sacraments He has left 
us means of maintaining it in our hearts. He 
then ascended to heaven and left to the care of the 
Holy Spirit that divine fire of charity. The Holy 
Spirit not only inflames our hearts with love, but 
He also increases and perfects it in us. If, then, 
thou wishest to love God, to make progress in the 



448 



A DAY OF UNION 



science of the saints, thou must learn it in the 
school of the Holy Spirit. He is the great teacher 
of love, because He is Love itself. 

1. The first great means He employs to ad- 
vance us in charity is prayer and meditation. 
Prayer is intercourse with God, and no one can 
draw nigh to God without increasing in love. 

2. Another means the Holy Spirit employs is 
the sacraments. 

3. A third means is self-denial. As self-denial 
increases, the love of God increases. These two 
contrary powers are fighting for mastery over our 
souls — love of self and love of God. 

4. The Holy Spirit also uses the sufferings and 
trials of life to increase in us the love of God. 
These are the furnaces in which the gold of 
charity is purified. 

5. Finally, the Holy Spirit employs acts of 
love to perfect us in the virtues. We learn to 
speak by speaking; we learn to write by writing; 
so we also acquire proficiency in that one great 
virtue by constantly repeating acts of that virtue, 
by multiplying them and by intensifying their 
fervor. 

Behold, my soul, what the Holy Spirit does in 
thy heart. Thy divine Saviour has given thee so 
many virtues, so many examples of love. He 
gave thee prayer and the sacraments as means 
of growing in love. Now the Holy Spirit has 
come down and animates Christ's mystical body. 
He renders every willing member more Christ-like 
day by day. In His school thou wilt learn the 
science of the saints, for He is Love itself. Ex- 
ercise thyself in self-denial. Bear patiently the 
sufferings and trials of life, for St. Francis de 
Sales says, that ^'love which suffers not, does not 
deserve the name of love." 



THE LOVE OF GOD 



449 



AFFECTIONS AND PRAYERS 

0 holy Spirit, Thou who art called the Sancti- 
fier of mankind, because Thou incessantly laborest 
to kindle and feed the fire of divine love in the 
hearts of men, take full possession of my heart. 
I desire it to be Thine forever. Let not the ex- 
ample of my Saviour be in vain for me. Let His 
motives become active principles within me. May 
His means of grace be ever fruitful, and advance 
me in virtue. I desire to love God more and more. 
I desire that every breath that I breathe, every 
pulsation of my heart, every exercise of any of 
my faculties may be an act of love for my God, 
who is so good, so infinitely perfect and deserving 
of all love. 

Resolution 

With the aid of the Holy Spirit, I resolve to 
perform my devotions with great fervor, to prac- 
tise daily self-denial for love of God, to be re- 
signed to God's holy will in time of tribulation, 
and daily to make acts of love. I will think of 
God's goodness and the many reasons I have for 
loving Him. Come, 0 holy Spirit, and destroy 
in me by Thy sacred fire every affection which 
has not God for its object. Grant that I may be 
all Thine, and that through Thee I may conquer 
everything to please God. 0 Mary, my mother 
and advocate, do thou help me by thy prayer ! 



450 



A DAY OF UNION 



OPTIONAL REFLECTIONS 

ir» XTbe ^eans of %ox>ing (3o& ano of :©ecomfng a Safnt 

{From St, Alphonsus) 

The more we love God, the more holy do we be- 
come. St, Francis Borgia says that it is prayer 
that introduces divine love into the human heart; 
and it is mortification that withdraws the heart 
from the earth, and renders it capable of receiving 
this holy fire. The more there is of the earth in 
the heart, the less room there is for holy love. 
'^Wisdom is not to be found in the land of them 
that live in delights." Hence the saints have al- 
ways sought to mortify as much as possible their 
self-love and their senses. The saints are few ; but 
we must live with the few, if we will be saved with 
the few. ''Live with the few," writes St. John 
Climacus, ''if you would reign with the few." 
And St. Bernard says, "That can not be perfect 
which is not singular." He who would lead a 
perfect life must lead a singular life. 

But before all, in order to become saints, it is 
necessary to have the desire to be saints ; we must 
have the desire and the resolution. Some are al- 
ways desiring, but they never begin to put their 
hands to the work. "Of these irresolute souls," 
says St. Teresa, "the devil has no fear." On the 
other hand, the saint said, "God is a friend of 
generous souls." The devil tries to make it ap- 
pear to us to be pride to think of doing great 
things for God. It would, indeed, be pride in us, 
if we thought of doing them, trusting in our own 
strength; but it is not pride to resolve to become 
a saint, trusting in God, and saying, "I can do all 
things in Him who strengtheneth me." 



THE LOVE OF GOD 



451 



We must therefore be of good courage, make 
strong resolutions, and begin. Prayer can do any- 
tbing. What we can not do by our own strength, 
we shall easily do by the help of God, who has 
promised to give us whatever we ask of Him. 
^'You shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be 
done unto you. ' ' 

My dearest Redeemer, Thou desirest my love, 
and commandest me to love Thee with my whole 
heart. 0 my God, I will say to Thee, trusting in 
Thy mercy, my past sins do not make me fear, 
because I now hate and detest them above every 
other evil; and I know that Thou dost forget the 
offences of a soul that is penitent and loves Thee. 
Indeed, because I have offended Thee more than 
others, I will also love Thee more than others, 
with the help that I hope to obtain from Thee. 0 
my Lord, Thou desirest that I should be a saint; 
and I desire to become a saint to please Thee. I 
love Thee, 0 infinite goodness. To Thee do I give 
myself entirely. Thou art my only good and my 
only love. Accept me, 0 my beloved, and make 
me entirely Thine, and suffer me not to offend 
Thee any more. Grant that I may be wholly con- 
sumed for Thee, as Thou hast wholly consumed 
Thyseli for me. 0 Mary, the most loving and 
most beloved spouse of the Holy Spirit, obtain 
for me love and fidelity. 

fir. QiQhB of Xove ^i:owac5 (5o5 

{From St, AlpJionsus) 
I 

Lord, who am I, that Thou hast loved me so 
much, and that Thou shouldst so much desire to be 
loved by me? 



452 



A DAY OF UNION 



0 my God, worthy of infinite love ! I love Thee, 
or rather, I would that I loved Thee. 

1 love Thee above all things ; more than my life, 
more than myself ; but still I see that I love Thee 
too little. 

0 King of heaven! make Thyself also King of 
my heart; possess me entirely. 

II 

1 leave all and turn to Thee. I embrace Thee, 
I press Thee to my soul ; despise me not, immeas- 
urable good, I love Thee. 

Now that Thou hast united me to Thee, 0 my 
Jesus, how can I see myself separated from Thee! 
I love Thee, and will never cease to love Thee. 

Unite Thyself to me. Lord; let not the corrup- 
tion of my sins drive Thee away from me. 

Ill 

0 God, 0 God ! whom shall I love, if I love not 
Thee, my life, my love, my all! 

'^Chosen among thousands." My God, Thee 
only. Thee alone do I choose for my love. 

My Eedeemer, I desire no other but Thee. 

Oh, that I might be wholly consumed for Thee, 
who wast entirely consumed for me ! 

Take possession. Lord, of my whole will, and do 
with me what Thou pleasest. 

IV 

O God not known ! 0 God not loved ! he is indeed 
mad who loves Thee not. 

0 my God! when I sinned I well knew that I 
was greatly displeasing Thee. Oh, how could I 
do so! 

If I had died then, I should no longer have been 



THE LOVE OF GOD 



453 



able to love Thee. Now that I can, I will love 
Thee. 

Lord, after having given me so many graces, 
permit me not to betray Thee again. Let me 
rather die. 

Thou hast borne with me, that I might love 
Thee. Yes, I will love Thee. 

My God, Thou hast conquered me ; I will with- 
stand Thee no longer. I surrender myself to 
Thee. 

V 

0 God ! how many years have I not lost when 
I might have been loving Thee ! 

1 consecrate to Thee, my God, the remainder of 
my life, whether its days be many or few. 

VI 

What are riches! what are honors! what are 
pleasures ! My God, my God, I desire Thee alone. 

0 King of hearts, reign in my heart. Ah, draw 
me all to Thee ! 

Bind me, 0 God, to Thee, in such a way that I 
shall never be able to loose myself from Thee. 

Thou wilt not leave me, I will not leave Thee. 
Then we shall always love each other, 0 my God. 

VII 

Ah, make me all Thine before I die, my Jesus, 
my love, my life, my treasure, my all. 

Ah, my Jesus and my judge, the first time I see 
Thee may it be with a propitious countenance! 

When shall I be able to say, *^My God, my God, 
I can not lose Thee any more!'' 

When, Lord, shall I see Thee as Thou art, and 
contemplate Thee face to face for all eternity with 
my whole strength! 



454 



A DAY OF UNION 



Ah, my infinite good, as long as I live, I stand 
in danger of losing Thee ! 

My Jesns, what hast Thon not done to oblige 
me to love Thee? Yes, I will love Thee. I love 
Thee, I love Thee, I love Thee ! 

VIII 

0 eternal Father ! for the love of Jesus give me 
Thy love. 

Permit one of the most ungrateful creatures 
who has ever lived on earth to love Thee. 

My God, I will love Thee exceedingly in this life, 
that I may love Thee exceedingly in the next. 

IX 

0 my Jesus, Thou hast given Thyself all to me; 
I will give myself entirely to Thee. 

What greater pleasure can I have than to please 
Thee, my God? 

My beloved Jesus, I desire to love Thee as much 
as I have offended Thee. 

X 

1 love Thee, infinite goodness; make me know 
the great good that I love. 

My Jesus, Thou art the vine, I am one of the 
branches; keep me always united to Thee; never 
let me detach myself from Thee. 

0 my God, how much do I rejoice that Thou art 
infinitely happy ! 

XI 

Ah, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee; I 
love Thee more than myself. 

Give me, my elesus, that love which Thou re- 
quirest of me. 



THE LOVE OF GOD 



455 



Oh, that I had always loved Thee! 

Oh, if I did but love Thee, my God, if I did but 
love Thee ! I love Thee, but I love Thee too little. 

Help me. Lord, to love Thee much, and to over- 
come all things to please Thee. 

XII 

I give Thee my will. I desire nothing but that 
which Thou desirest. 

I seek not consolations from Thee ; I desire only 
to please Thee, my God, my love, my all. 

0 infinite God! I am not worthy to love Thee; 
suffer me to love Thee. 

1 hope to love Thee forever, 0 eternal God ! 

0 my dear Jesus ! Thou hast suffered so much 
for me ; I desire to suffer for Thee as much as it 
shall please Thee. 

0 God of nay soul ! I can trust myself no longer 
to live without loving Thee. 

0 will of God, Thou art my only love ! 

XIII 

0 omnipotent God! make me a saint. 

It will be for Thy glory. Lord, to make one who 
was Thine enemy become Thy loving servant. 

Thou didst seek me, my God, while I was yet 
flying from Thee; Thou wilt not repel me, now 
that I seek Thee. 

My most loving Jesus, in order to pardon me 
Thou hast not pardoned Thyself. 

1 thank Thee for giving me time to love Thee. 
Yes, my God, I love Thee, I love Thee, I love 
Thee, and I will always love Thee. 

0 God, worthy of infinite love, may I this day 
be entirely converted to Thee, my love, my all. 

Chastise me as Thou wilt ; but deprive me not of 
the power of loving Thee. 



456 



A DAY OF UNION 



XIV 

Divine Father, Thou hast given me Thy Son; 
I, a miserable creature, give myself to Thee. Ac- 
cept me, for Thy mercy sake. 

I desire. Lord, to atone for the offences I have 
committed against Thee, by doing all that I can to 
please Thee. 

I desire to love Thee, my God, without interest, 
without ceasing, and without reserve. 

XV 

My Jesus, despised for me, may I be despised 
for Thee! 

My Jesus, tormented for love of us, grant that I 
may suffer all the pains of this life for love of 
Thee. 

I wish, 0 my Eedeemer, to die for Thee, who 
didst die for me. 

I resolve this day to give myself all to Thee. 

Oh, that I would love Thee as Thou deservest ! 

Grant, Lord, that I may leave nothing undone 
which I know to be pleasing to Thee. 

Happy shall I be if I lose all to gain Thee, my 
God, my all. 

My Jesus, sacrificed for me, I sacrifice to Thee 
my whole will. 

O my God! when shall I be all Thine? 

XVI 

'*Lord, what wilt Thou have me doT' 
^'I will sing forever the mercies of the Lord.'' 
''Who shall separate me from the love of 
Christ 

''O good Jesus! never permit me to be sep- 
arated from Thee, never permit me to be sep- 
arated from Thee!*' 



THE LOVE OF GOD 



457 



**What have I in heaven? and, besides Thee, 
what do I desire upon earth? Thon art the God 
of my heart, and the God that is my portion for- 
ever. ' ' 

XVII 

May I die for the love of Thy love, who for the 
love of my love didst not disdain to die! 
^^My love is crucified.'' 

*^Give me but Thy love and Thy grace, and I 
am rich enough." — St. Ignatius Loyola. 

*^Let me die, Lord, that I may see Thee.'' — St. 
Augustine. 

XVIII 

Ah, my Jesus, they who love Thee not, do not 
know Thee. 

I love Thy pleasure. Lord, more than all the 
pleasures of the world. 

My crucified Jesus, how is it that not all are 
captivated by Thee! 

Thou hast died for me ; oh, that I could die for 
Thee, my Jesus, my love, my treasure, my all ! 

Lord, what shall I render to Thee for all that 
Thou hast suffered for me? 

XIX 

Infinite Goodness, I esteem Thee above all 
things ; I love Thee with all my heart ; I give my- 
self entirely to Thee. Accept my poor love, and 
give me more love. May I forget all, that I may 
remember only Thee, my love, my all ! 

I would wish to love Thee worthily. Accept, 
0 God, this my desire, and give me Thy love ! 



458 



A DAY OF UNION 



XX 

I have offended Thee enough; now I desire to 
love Thee. 

0 God! 0 God! I am Thine, and Thou art 
mine. 

May all be lost; but let not God be lost. 

Let it cost what it will to gain God; He can 
never be dearly bought. 

Thou alone, my Jesus, Thou alone art sufficient 
for me. 

XXI 

0 Mary! look on me, and draw me all to God. 

Most amiable Mother, I love thee exceedingly. 

0 Mother I give me confidence in thee, and make 
me always have recourse to thee. 

0 Mary ! it is for thee to save me. Thou canst 
make me holy; this is my hope. Have pity on 
me. 

EVENING EXAMINATION 
®n IHnion witb (3oD 

Am I convinced that sanctity and perfection 
consists in living in union with God? Do I ar- 
dently desire this union? Have I firmly resolved 
to attain it? Do I mistrust myself and place all 
my confidence in God? Is my mind united to 
God by the possession of His truth? by frequent 
renewal of my good intentions? by meditation on 
the eternal truths? Or am I suffering from de- 
lusions regarding the end, the motives, or the 
means of perfection? Do these delusions result 
from a want of reflection on the tendency of hu- 
man nature, or the workings of grace? from 
pride? from a want of examination of my actions, 
my intentions, my motives, or of the means I have 



THE LOVE OF GOD 



459 



employed? Have I in the past been influenced 
by secret self-love? by the flattery of friends! 
Am I faithful in the practice of mental prayer? 
Do I ask God to let me see myself as He sees 
me? Have I closed my eyes to my imperfec- 
tions ? Have I been severe with others instead of 
with myself? 

Have I kept my heart united to God by dis- 
interested love? frequently renewed my motive of 
action, ^^ex amove Jesu et Maricd"? Have I 
practised ejaculatory prayer? interior and exte- 
rior mortification ? Have I kept a watchful eye on 
the promptings of my predominant passion? made 
frequent acts of love? prayed God to strengthen 
my resolution and render it efficacious? Have 
I been faithful in the practice of penance? of hu- 
mility? of patience? of fraternal charity? of de- 
tachment? Or has worldly ambition, vanity, love 
of pleasure, ease, and comfort, vitiated my mo- 
tives and retarded my spiritual progress ? 

Have I sought the will of God in all things? 
Have I recognized the will of God in my holy 
Rule? in the wish of my Superiors? in the inspira- 
tions of the Holy Spirit? in the dispensations of 
divine Providence? Do I do God's will cheer- 
fully in disagreeable as well as in agreeable 
things? Or have I grumbled and complained in 
time of temptations and trials? Do I persevere 
in my devout exercises even when I do not relish 
them? Do I make frequent acts of resignation 
and conformity to God's holy will? Am I zealous 
for the glory of God? for my own spiritual prog- 
ress? for the temporal and eternal happiness of 
my neighbor? Do I see Jesus in the lowliest of 
my neighbors? Can I honestly say, ^^I will will 
what God wills, when God wills, as God wills, 
because God wills, and only what God wills"? 



460 



A DAY OF UNION 



Protestation for a Happy Death, 

Renewal of Religious Profession, 
to your Enle.) 

HYMN 

Bspirationg to Scbws 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

Jesus, my sweetest Lord ! 
Jesus, my sweetest Lord ! 
My Good, my Spouse adored ! 

My God, 0 goodness infinite, 
My life's true life art Thou; 

Flame of my heart, my Spouse most sweet. 
My love to Thee I vow. 

Jesus, my sweetest Lord ! 
Jesus, my sweetest Lord! 
My Good, my Spouse adored! 

Jesus, for Thee I pine away, 

My love, and my desire ; 
And more enamored day by day, 

I bum with heavenly fire. 

Jesus, my sweetest Lord ! 
Jesus, my sweetest Lord ! 
My Good, my Spouse adored! 

Ah, Jesus, I would ever weep 

That I offended Thee; 
Mine was ingratitude too deep, 

And basest treaeheiy. 

Jesus, my sweetest Lord! 
Jesus, my sweetest Lord ! 
My Good, my Spouse adored! 



(See p. 77.) 
(According 



THE LOVE OF GOD 



My Jesus, when I call to mind 

That such a wretch as I 
Have crucified a God so kind, 

I fain of grief would die. 

Jesus, my sweetest Lord ! 
Jesus, my sweetest Lord ! 
My Good, my Spouse adored! 

0 Thou, my hope, make me remain 

Faithful forevermore; 
Better to die than be again 

As I have been before. 

Jesus, my sweetest Lord ! 
Jesus, my sweetest Lord ! 
My Good, my Spouse adored! 

While night and day my foes allure. 

In Thee do I confide ; 
Take Thou and place my heart secure 

Within Thy pierced side. 

Jesus, my sweetest Lord ! 
Jesus, my sweetest Lord ! 
My Good, my Spouse adored! 

With Thy sweet chains, 0 Jesus, bind 

My rebel heart to Thee 
Till death ; my safety I will find 

In such captivity. 

J esus, my sweetest Lord ! 
Jesus, my sweetest Lord ! 
My Good, my Spouse adored ! 



Conclu0ton 



IT* Byamlnatfon 

Ask yourself: (a) How have I made the Ee- 
treat? (h) What lights have I received? (c) 
What resolutions have I formed? 

Ask pardon for want of good will during Ee- 
treat. 

Thank the Holy Spirit for His light and grace. 

Eead the following summaries of religious vir- 
tues, maxims, and aspirations. 

Emphasize those which apply particularly to 
yourself. 

Eenew your good resolutions and your conse- 
cration. 

Ask God's blessing on your resolutions. 
Eeduce your resolutions to practice. 



Ifff. Summaris of IDtrtues tbat /iRafte a IReliglous a Saint 

(From St, Alplionsus) 

1. To desire always to advance in the love of 
Jesus Christ. Holy desires are the wings with 
which souls fly to God. Hence it is necessary to 
meditate frequently on the passion of Our Lord. 
To make frequent acts of the love of Jesus Christ 
during the day, beginning as soon as you awake 
in the morning, and endeavoring to fall asleep 
making an act of love ; and always to ask of Jesus 
Christ His holy love. 

462 



CONCLUSION 



463 



2. To go to holy communion daily, with the 
permission of your director. And during the 
day to make many spiritual communions. 

3. To visit the Most Holy Sacrament at least 
once a day; and during the visit to ask perse- 
verance and holy love, after the acts of faith, 
thanksgiving, and love. And when you meet with 
troubles, losses, affronts, or any other cross, have 
recourse to the Blessed Sacrament, no matter 
where you find yourself at the time. 

4. Every morning, at rising, to offer yourself 
to suffer in peace all the crosses that will come to 
you during the day, and when they come always 
to say : ' ' Lord, Thy will be always done ! ' ^ 

5. To rejoice in the infinite happiness of God. 
A soul that loves God more than itself ought to 
rejoice in His felicity more than its own. 

6. To desire paradise, and therefore to de- 
sire death in order to be delivered from the 
danger of losing God, and to go to love Him for 
eternity, and with all your strength. 

7. To desire and to labor that all may love 
Jesus Christ; and therefore to speak frequently 
to others of the love of Jesus Christ. 

8. To treat God without reserve, not refusing 
Him anything that you know to be pleasing 
to Him ; and even to choose what is most pleasing 
to Him. 

9. To pray every day for the souls in purga- 
tory ; and for poor sinners. 

10. To perform all your actions through the 
sole motive of giving pleasure to Jesus Christ, 
saying, at the beginning of each action: ''Lord, 
may this be entirely for Thee ! ' ' 

11. To offer yourself several times in the day 
to suffer every pain for His sake, saying: ''My 



464 



CONCLUSION 



Jesus, I give myself entirely to Thee. Here I 
am; do with me whatsoever Thou pleasest." 

12. To resolve to die rather than to commit 
even a deliberate venial sin. 

13. To abstain from even lawful gratifications, 
at least two or three times a day. 

14. To spend two hours, or at least an hour 
every day in mental prayer. 

15. To love solitude and silence, in order to 
converse alone with God; hence it is necessary to 
love the choir and the cell, and to shun the parlor 
and the hall. 

16. To perform all the exterior mortifications 
that you are allowed by obedience, but to attend 
particularly to interior mortifications; such as 
not to indulge curiosity, to be silent when you re- 
ceive an affront, and never to do anything through 
self-love. 

17. To perform every spiritual exercise as if 
it were the last time you were to perform it ; and 
on that account to think frequently on death in 
your meditations. And when you are in bed, 
consider that there you will probably one day 
breathe your last. 

18. Not to abandon your usual devotions, or 
any other good work, through human respect, 
through aridity or tediousness. 

19. Not to complain, in sickness, of the inat- 
tention of the physicians or of the other Reli- 
gious; and to make light of your pains, except 
when it is necessary to mention them to the physi- 
cian. 

20. To banish melancholy, preserving tran- 
quillity, and a uniform serenity of countenance in 
all cases. He that wishes what God wishes 
should never be afflicted. 

21. In temptations, to have recourse immedi- 



CONCLUSION 



465 



ately and with confidence to Jesus and Mary, and 
to continue constantly to repeat the names of 
Jesus and Mary as long as the temptation lasts. 

22. To place all your confidence, first, in the 
passion of Jesus Christ, and then in the inter- 
cession of Mary and to ask every day this con- 
fidence from God. 

23. After a fault, never to give way to dis- 
turbance of mind or to diffidence, even though 
you should relapse several times into the same 
fault; but instantly to repent of it, and trusting 
in God, to renew your resolution to correct it. 

24. To render good to all who treat you badly, 
at least by praying to God for them. 

25. To answer with meekness all those who 
offend you by acts or words, and thus to gain 
them to God. 

26. When you are vexed you will do well to 
remain silent until your mind is composed ; other- 
wise you will commit a thousand faults without 
perceiving them. 

27. If you have to correct another, endeavor 
to select a time when neither you nor the person 
to be corrected is agitated; otherwise the correc- 
tion will do more harm than good. 

28. Always to speak well of others and to try 
to excuse the intention when you can not excuse 
the action. 

29. To assist others to the best of your ability, 
and particularly those who are opposed to you. 

30. Neither to say nor to do anything disa- 
greeable to others, when it is more pleasing to 
God that you should say or do it. And when you 
sometimes fail in charity to your neighbor, to ask 
pardon, or at least to speak to the person with 
kindness ; and always to speak with meekness and 
in a low tone. 



466 



CONCLUSION 



31. To offer to God the affronts which you 
receive, and not to complain of them to others. 

32. To observe punctually the rules of the 
monastery. St. Francis de Sales used to say that 
the most austere penance of a Eeligious is to deny 
self-will, and to be content that the observance 
of the Eule be the priest that every moment offers 
such a sacrifice to God. He would frequently say 
that the predestination of Eeligious is closely con- 
nected with the love of their Eule. And to Su- 
periors he used to say, that to fulfil their office 
they should observe the Eule, and see that it be 
observed by others. 

33. To regard even Superiors as the person of 
Jesus Christ, and therefore to obey them punc- 
tually and without delay. 

34. To love the most lowly offices. To select 
the poorest things. To humble yourself even to 
inferiors. Not to speak of yourself either well 
or ill; for speaking ill of yourself sometimes fo- 
ments pride. Not to excuse yourself when re- 
proved, nor even when you are calumniated, un- 
less it is absolutely necessary to prevent scandal 
to others. 

35. To visit the sick, and to assist them ac- 
cording to the best of your ability, particularly 
those who are abandoned. 

36. To say frequently to yourself : I have come 
to the convent, not to indulge in pleasure, but 
to suffer; not to lead a life of comfort, but of 
poverty ; not to be honored, but to be despised, not 
to do my own will, but the will of others. 

37. To renew always the purpose to become a 
saint, and not to lose courage in any state of 
tepidity in which you may find yourself. 

38. To renew every day the vows of your 
profession. 



CONCLUSION 



467 



39. To conform yourself to the divine will 
in all things opposed to the senses, in sorrows, in- 
firmities, affronts, contradictions, losses of prop- 
erty, death of relatives or of other persons who 
are dear to you, and to direct all your actions, 
communions, and other prayers to that end, al- 
ways asking God to make you love Him, and to 
fulfil His holy will in all things. 

40. To recommend yourself to the prayers of 
other devout persons ; but to recommend yourself 
more to the saints in heaven, and particularly to 
the Blessed Virgin, setting a great value on the 
devotion to the blessed Mother, and endeavoring 
to infuse it into others. 



iririT* Spfrttual ^ayfms for a IRetigfous 

(From St, Alphonsus) 

Of what use will it be to gain the whole world 
and to lose one's own soul? 

Everything here has an end: but eternity has 
no end. 

All may be lost provided God be not lost. 
No sin, however small, is a light evil. 
If we desire to please God, we must deny our- 
selves. 

That which is done for our own satisfaction is 
all loss. 

In order to save ourselves we must be in con- 
stant fear of falling. 

Let me die so that I may please God. 

The only evil that we ought to fear is sin. All 
that God wills is good, and therefore to be de- 
sired. 

He who desires nothing but God is happy, and 
contented with everything that happens. 



468 



CONCLUSION 



I ought to imagine to myself that there are no 
others in the world but God and myself. 

The whole world can not satisfy onr heart ; God 
alone can satisfy it. 

All good consists in loving God, and loving God 
consists in doing His will. 

All onr riches are in prayer. He who prays 
obtains everything that he can desire. 

Let US consider that day on which we omit onr 
mental prayer. '*He who leaves off praying,'* 
says St. Teresa, casts himself into hell of his 
own accord.'' 

Let ns not pass a day without reading some 
spiritual book. 

Points of honor are the plague of spirituality. 

To be humble of heart, and not merely in word, 
it is not sufficient to say that we are deserving 
of all contempt, but we must also be glad when we 
are despised. And what has a Christian learned 
to do, if he can not suffer an affront for God's 
sake! When you are insulted, take it all cheer- 
fully. 

He, who thinks of the hell which he has de- 
served, finds every trouble easy to bear. 

He who loves poverty possesses all things. In 
the things of this world we must choose the worst ; 
in the things of God we must choose the best. 

An obedient soul is the delight of God. 

True charity consists in doing good to those 
who do us evil, and in thus gaining them over. 

Of what use are the riches and honors of this 
world at the hour of death I 

It is a great grace of God to be called to His 
holy love. 

God does not leave a single good desire unre- 
warded. 



CONCLUSION 



469 



All inordinate attacliment, even to good things, 
is bad. 

Let US be grateful, and first of all to God. Let 
ns, therefore, resolve to deny Him nothing, mak- 
ing choice of those things which are most pleas- 
ing to Him. 

The most beautiful prayer when in sickness is 
to unite ourselves to the will of God. 

A holy life and pleasures of the senses can not 
agree. 

He who trusts in himself is lost ; he who trusts 
in God can do all things. 

What greater delight can a soul have than to 
know that it is pleasing to God. 

God is ready to give Himself to those who leave 
all for His love. 

The only way by which we can become saints is 
the way of suffering. 

It is by aridity and temptations that God tries 
those who love Him. 

No one can be lost who loves God and trusts 
in Him. 

Let us beg of God to give us a tender devotion 
to His blessed Mother. 

He who looks on Jesus crucified suffers every- 
thing in peace. 

He who loves God most in this world is 
happiest. All that is not done for God, turns to 
pain. 

No kind of disquietude, although for a good 
end, comes from God. 

It is enough that we do not stand still ; we shall 
arrive in the end. 

He who desires only God is rich and happy ; he 
is in want of nothing, and may laugh at the whole 
world. 



470 CONCLUSION 

Nothing can satisfy one whom God does not 
satisfy. 

God, God, and nothing more. 
We must overcome all to gain all. 



irit). /IBayfma for attaining iPerfectfon 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

1. Desire ardently to increase in the love of 
Jesus. 

2. Make frequent acts of love toward Jesus. 

3. Often meditate on His passion. 

4. Always ask Jesus Christ for His love. 

5. Communicate often and make frequent 
spiritual communions during the day. 

6. Often visit the Most Holy Sacrament. 

7. Eeceive your own cross from the hands of 
Jesus every morning. 

8. Desire heaven that you ma}^ love Jesus 
Christ perfectly for all eternity. 

9. Often speak of the love of Jesus. 

10. Accept contradictions for the sake of Jesus. 

11. Eejoice in the happiness of God. 

12. Seek to do what is most pleasing to Jesus. 

13. Desire and endeavor to bring all to the 
love of Jesus. 

14. Pray daily for the conversion of sinners 
and for the souls in purgatory. 

15. Drive from your heart every affection that 
is not for Jesus. 

16. Beg Mary daily to obtain for you the love 
of Jesus. 

17. Honor Mary to please Jesus. 

18. Seek to please Jesus in all your actions. 

19. Offer to suffer any pain for love of Jesus. 



CONCLUSION 



471 



20. Rather die than commit a deliberate venial 
sin. 

21. Suffer crosses patiently, saying, ^'Thus it 
pleases Jesus.'' 

22. Renounce your own pleasures for love of 
Jesus. 

23. Pray always. 

24. Practise all the mortifications that obedi- 
ence permits. 

25. Perform your spiritual exercises as if it 
were for the last time. 

26. Persevere in good works in time of aridity. 

27. Do not act through human respect. 

28. Do not complain in sickness. 

29. Love solitude, that you may converse alone 
with Jesus. 

30. Drive away melancholy. 

31. Frequently recommend yourself to those 
who love Jesus. 

32. In temptations have recourse to Jesus cru- 
cified and to Mary sorrowing. 

33. Trust entirely in the passion of Jesus. 

34. After committing a fault, do not be dis- 
couraged, but repent and resolve to amend. 

35. Do good to those who do evil. 

36. Speak well of all, and excuse if you can, 
the intention when you can not defend the action. 

37. Help your neighbor as much as you can. 

38. Never vex your neighbor intentionally. 
And if you have been wanting in charity, ask his 
pardon or at least speak kindly to him. 

39. Always speak with mildness and in a low 
tone. 

40. Offer to Jesus all the contempts and per- 
secutions you meet with. 

41. Consider your Superiors the representa- 
tives of God. 



472 



CONCLUSION 



42. Obey simply to do God's will. 

43. Like the lowest employments. 

44. Like the poorest things. 

45. Speak neither good nor evil of yourself. 
•46. Humble yourself even toward inferiors. 

47. Remain silent when reproved. 

48. Do not defend yourself when found fault 
with. 

49. Be silent when disquieted. 

50. Frequently renew your determination to 
become a saint, saying, ^^My Jesus, I desire to be 
all Thine, and Thou must be all mine. ' ' 



ID. 2)cvout [Bspfratfong 

{From St. Alphonsus) 

0 loving Heart of Jesus! inflame this poor 
heart of mine. 

My Jesus, when shall I begin to love Thee as 
Thou hast loved me? 

My God, when shall I die to everything, to live 
to Thee alone? 

My beloved One, make me love Thee even in 
sufferings. 

Thou hast loved me without reserve ; I also will 
love Thee without reserve. 

My Jesus, make Thyself known and loved by 
all. 

My Jesus, grant that I may die, saying, I love 
Thee, I love Thee. 

My God, suffer me not to lose Thee forever. 
Give me the grace to love Thee, and then do with 
me what Thou wilt. 

At this hour I might have been in hell ; but now 
I love Thee, and hope always to love Thee. 



CONCLUSION 



473 



And what else do I wish, 0 my God ! but Thee, 
who art my chief, my only good! 

My Jesus, on the Day of Judgment do not sep- 
arate me from Thee. 

My Jesus, how lovely art Thou, but by how few 
art Thou loved ! 

Oh, that I could die of grief every time that 
I think of having voluntarily lost Thee ! 

My Jesus, grant me Thy love, and I ask Thee 
for nothing more. 

Thou hast died for me; I wish also to die for 
Thee. 

0 death of Jesus, from thee I hope for a good 
death. 

0 blood of Jesus, from thee I hope for the par- 
don of all my sins. 

0 wounds of Jesus, from you I hope to love 
Jesus forever. 

0 agony of Jesus, from thee I hope to bear 
peacefully the agony of my death. 

0 sorrows of Jesus, from you I hope for pa- 
tience in all contradictions. 

0 scourges of Jesus, deliver me from everlast- 
ing despair. 

0 tears of Mary, obtain for me sorrow for my 
sins. 

My own St. Joseph, by thy happy death obtain 
for me a good death. 

0 ye holy apostles! by your blessed death ob- 
tain for me the grace to die in the love of God. 

And what wish I, either in this life or in the 
next, but Thee alone, my God! 

My Jesus, had I died in sin, I could no more 
love Thee; now I desire to love Thee, and Thee 
alone. 

My God, I love Thee, and I will love none but 
Thee. 



474 



CONCLUSION 



St. Teresa, St. Philip Neri, my advocates, make 
me burn with love for Jesus, as you yourself did 
burn. 

My Jesus, by the pain Thou didst endure when 
Thy left hand was pierced with the nail, give me 
true sorrow for my sins. 

My Jesus, by the pain Thou didst endure when 
Thy right hand was pierced with the nail, give 
me perseverance in Thy grace. 

My Jesus, by the pain Thou didst endure when 
Thy left foot was pierced with the nail, deliver 
me from the pains of hell. 

My Jesus, by the pain Thou didst endure when 
Thy right foot was pierced with the nail, give me 
the grace to love Thee eternally in heaven. 

My Jesus, by the wound that was made in Thy 
sacred Heart, give me the grace to love Thee al- 
ways in this life and in the next. 

Live, Jesus, our love, and Mary our hope. 



HYMN 

ISs^t^f Ont ibope 

(From St. Alphonsus) 

Mary, thou art hope the brightest, 
Love most pure and sweet ; 

Life and peace I find reposing 
At thy blessed feet ! 

When I call on thee, 0 Mary! 

When I think on thee, 
Joy and pleasure all entrancmg 

Fill my heart with glee. 

If, anon, the clouds of sadness 

Rise within my heart. 
When they hear thy name, 0 Mary ! 

Straightway they depart. 



CONCLUSION 



475 



Like a star on lif ers dark ocean, 

Shining o'er the wave, 
Thou canst guide my bark to harbor, 

Thou my soul canst save. 

Under thy protecting mantle, 

Queen belov'd I fly; 
There I wish to live securely, 

There I hope to die. 

If I chance my life to finish 

Mary, loving thee, 
Then I also know, dear Lady, 

Heaven is for me. 

Cast thy gentle bonds around me, 

And my heart encham ; 
Prisoner of love forever, 

Safe will I remain. 

Thus my heart, 0 sweetest Mary ! 

Is not mine, but thine; 
Take it; give it all to Jesus; 

Ne'er shall it be mine. 



jEybortatfon to IRelfgious to BDvance in iperfcctfon 

From St. Alphonsus) 

God has specially chosen Eeligious from among 
the men and women of the world, that they may 
spread His glory and love Him with a love more 
particular and pure than that which those bear 
to Him who live in the world and are occupied 
in its affairs. To this end has the Lord, by a 
special vocation, drawn His chosen servants out 
of the darkness of Egypt, and freed them from 
the love of the world; and so moved by divine 
grace, they have consecrated themselves to God by 
their holy vows, renouncing all the goods that 



476 



CONCLUSION 



this world promises and gives to its followers. 
And therefore it is that any convent of Eeligious 
should be considered as a community of individu- 
als, who, detached from every earthly thought, are 
mindful of nothing but to live only for God, so 
that God may glory in them and say : * ' These are 
all Mine, they are My delight." 

But, I ask, can the Lord nowadays say of all 
Eeligious, ^'they are My delight"! Alas! the 
Church laments, because she sees in many Eeli- 
gious a relaxation of spirit, united with coldness 
in the service of God. It can not be denied, that 
amongst so many there are some who live as good 
Eeligious, free from worldly attachments, intent 
on becoming saints and bringing souls to God. 
There are such, whom I call judges, who shall one 
day, in the Valley of Josaphat, judge their breth- 
ren; but these good Eeligious, these judges, are, 
alas, too few! 

It is not becoming to my littleness to talk here 
as a censor, and to note down the defects into 
which Eeligious nowadays are inclined to fall; 
whereby, instead of giving edification by their ex- 
ample, they become the objects of adverse criti- 
cism, and give scandal to others. But some one 
will say: ^'You who set up as a reformer, tell us 
what those common defects are. Tell us what we 
have to do to be good Eeligious." I answer, I 
do not pretend to reform the world, and there- 
fore will not undertake to declare in particular 
the faults which have become common. To you 
who ask me this, I say only that you know full well 
what you have to do in order to be good Eeligious ; 
in your novitiate you were fully instructed by 
good masters in the practice of the virtues which 
you had afterward to exercise in religion; 
that is, obedience, detachment for earthly af- 



CONCLUSION 



477 



fections, the love of poverty, the abnegation of 
yourself, the desire of being humbled, and those 
other virtues which are necessary to live as a 
good Eeligious. But where tepidity and relaxa- 
tion have crept in, Religious pay less attention to 
the obligations of their state, and care little about 
mending their defects. 

Oh, would to God that all Religious might pre- 
serve at least the half of that good life they be- 
gan to lead in their novitiate ! For the most part, 
the novices who persevere to make their profes- 
sion, live in fervor of spirit and give edification; 
but the evil is, that, after having made their vows, 
and applied themselves to their labors, they are 
prone to grow lukewarm, and neglect to preserve 
the spirit they acquired, and fail to put into execu- 
tion the good resolutions which they made as nov- 
ices; so that, as time goes on, they are apt to fall 
more and more away from it every day, and multi- 
ply their faults. When afterward they are ap- 
pointed to teach others, this relaxation is apt to 
increase so that they are less solicitous to do any- 
thing for the glory of God, but think more of ad- 
vancing their own interests by pressing on to 
higher stations, so as then to be able to live a life 
of less subjection and greater comfort. It was 
with the best intentions that Religious Orders es- 
tablished the degrees, through which the Religious 
must advance, in order to promote the good of 
souls by instructing the ignorant and arousing the 
lukewarm to fervor. But the misfortune is, that 
with many Religious the means easily become the 
end, for as time goes on they are inclined to think 
less of the good of religion and of souls and more 
of their own temporal advantage. I protest 
again that I do not pretend to play the reformer ; 
but I see that from this spirit spring up in the 



478 



CONCLUSION 



Religious Orders all kinds of ambition, and in 
consequence every species of spiritual decay. 
Hence, I conclude, that it would be much better 
were the members, after having finished their 
course, to remain in the same humble degree in 
which they were when they came out of the novi- 
tiate. For then each one would think of fulfilling 
the duties of his office, not for private ends, but 
only to accomplish the will of God, and to obey 
his Superiors. But on becoming teachers they 
get better quarters and other comforts and gain 
a certain pre-eminence, and this is the reason 
why so few Religious make progress in spirit and 
give to others the edification that they should. 
Where shall we, generally speaking, nowadays find 
in Religious the spirit of obedience, of poverty, 
of mortification, of interior abnegation ? where the 
love of solitude, of a hidden life, the desire of be- 
ing despised, which we find in the saints ? 

What would be a remedy for so great an evil! 
What shall I say? The remedy has to come from 
heaven, and therefore, we should pray to the Lord 
that He may in His mercy correct it by His power ; 
because, as the good spirit of Religious communi- 
cates itself to seculars, so do they also participate 
in their relaxation. I for my part, believe that 
decay in the Religious Orders comes for the most 
part from the neglect of mental praj-er, and this 
arises from the want of retirement and recollec- 
tion. Experience shows too well that the more 
intercourse some persons have with people of 
the world, the less they desire to have intercourse 
with God ; and the more familiar they become with 
the world, the more God retires from them. 
^'Willingly would I,'' said the Lord one day to 
St. Teresa, speak to many souls, but the world 
makes so much noise in their hearts, that my voice 



CONCLUSION 



479 



can not be heard. ' ' Immersed, as many Religions 
are, in the affairs of the world, they think little 
of uniting themselves more closely to God. They 
would like to get out of the mire of their tepidity, 
and free themselves from the earthly attachments 
in which they find themselves entangled ; but their 
passions, which they make no effort to overcome, 
always draw them downward, and thus they lose 
the love of mental prayer. 

The monks of old gave much time to mental 
prayer, and in this way they became saints ; and, 
by the edification which they gave, they also sanc- 
tified others. But, nowadays, many fail, because 
they are wanting in the spirit of prayer. Hence 
Religious are without humility, without detach- 
ment from the world, and without love of God: 
and the love of God being wanting, as a conse- 
quence other virtues are wanting also. Let us, 
then, beseech Jesus Christ, who alone is able to 
remedy so great an evil; let us beseech Him to 
infuse into Religious His holy love, and the de- 
sire of becoming saints. Let us pray daily in the 
words of King David: ^'Turn again, 0 God of 
hosts, look down from heaven, and see, and visit 
this vineyard: and perfect the same which thy 
right hand hath planted. ^ ' Amen. 



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